Viral Finger-Pointing Meme Origin Revealed by Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham recently discussed the backstory behind a viral finger-pointing meme during her podcast.
On June 27, Cunningham, who co-hosts “Show Me Something” with her childhood friend and reality TV star West Wilson, shared details about the moment that took place on June 22. It was shortly after an altercation involving her teammate, Clark, and Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner that led to Clark being fouled. Cunningham recounted how she engaged with the referee and pointed at Bonner while advocating for Clark.
Cunningham remembers saying to the referee, “[Bonner], would you like to get one? If Caitlin was getting one, then it should’ve been the same for Bonner too.” Afterward, she found herself pointing at Bonner, who reacted by saying, “Don’t point at me!” In that moment, Cunningham thought, “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”
She explained further, saying, “People think it’s silly. Maybe it is, but it made her really upset, and I just couldn’t stop myself… I literally just pointed.” Her tone seemed to hint at both amusement and disbelief over the situation.
On June 22, during the game, tensions rose when Clark and Bonner clashed. The confrontation escalated into a scuffle involving other players, including Alyssa Thomas from the Mercury and Mischa Hines-Allen from the Fever. Eventually, technical fouls were issued to Clark, Bonner, Cunningham, Thomas, and Hines-Allen following the incident.
Cunningham also brought up the ongoing violence against Clark, mentioning a recent incident where Thomas appeared to strike Clark in the throat during a game on June 24. “Honestly, last night, I didn’t see that happening,” Cunningham said. “If we had noticed, we would have stepped in. Sadly, this kind of thing happens in practically every game for her and our league.” She expressed frustration with the referees’ failure to act during such incidents.
When the conversation shifted to the WNBA’s 30th anniversary poster, which notably did not feature Clark, Cunningham replied jokingly, “Kathy,” referring to WNBA commissioner Kathy Engelbert. “You’re missing out on showcasing some of the best players in the league’s history.” Although Cunningham appeared on the poster, she questioned the choice of players included. “Why add random players when I’m one of them?”
On June 25, it was reported that Clark was omitted from the poster due to restrictions on her image use outside of her licensing deal with Nike, which only allows for her name and number.
