Sophie Cunningham's viral moment is turning into a breakout run

In less than 12 hours, Sophie Cunningham has become the 'it' girl of the WNBA. Anyone who has watched her time in the league knows that she is a fiery player, but the whole world took notice after a controversial game Tuesday between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun. Her viral moment where she wrapped and pulled the Sun's Jacy Sheldon to the floor in defense of her teammate Caitlin Clark, sent the internet into a frenzy.

And anyone who pays close attention knew this moment was coming. Sheldon is the culprit of Cunningham's front tooth being cracked in half after taking a shot to the mouth from her during the first meeting between these two teams just a few weeks back.

That hard foul would put the game in total chaos. People still want to argue that nobody watches the WNBA? Now they do, thanks to Cunningham's viral moment showing her loyalty to protecting her teammate who happens to be the face of the entire league.

Sophie Cunningham's actions have quickly elevated her popularity

She was ejected from the game for the Flagrant 2 foul and received a $400 fine from the league on the following day. Who cares? Cunningham certainly doesn't and her posts on Instagram and TikTok show that she is completely unbothered by the punishments handed down by the league. Her stardom from the hard foul and taking matters into her own hands due to a clear lack of control by the officials will last forever.

Since Tuesday's game, Cunningham's social media accounts have exploded, her jersey has sold out from the Fever team store, and she has found herself as the most talked about player in the WNBA right now. Her TikTok following went from 302,000 followers to more than 1.2 million followers in just a couple of days.

Cunningham's actions have left people talking - including people who sit on both sides of things. There are some that view her viral play as 'dirty' and have gone as far as creating an online petition to have Cunningham ousted from the WNBA.

Her jersey that's listed on the Pacers/Fever online team stores lists as being available on or before July 8th. Likely to allow time for re-stocking both in-store and online.

Perhaps some people have taken Cunningham's league punishments harder than she herself has. All of her new followers have been quickly exposed to Cunningham's 'unapologetic' side after she posted a video on her TikTok where she mouthed the lyrics from Selena Gomez's song"Hands to Myself". She can be seen saying "I mean I could, but why would I want to?" likely referencing her hard foul call and changing how she carries herself on the court.

It was clear last season that the Fever lacked an 'enforcer'. They needed someone on the roster who carried themselves in such a way that they would step in when needed to protect the well-being of her teammates.

Cunningham has a 'Bash-Brother' mentality that some may have seen in the popular classic Mighty Ducks films. This means that everyone playing against them knows they can't cross a certain line or they would be subject to facing the wrath of confrontation.

Sophie Cunningham reiterated to everyone that she stands on business and fans can only hope she is in Indiana to stay long term.