Sophie Cunningham has explained the viral pointing meme that came out of the Indiana Fever’s heated exchange with the Phoenix Mercury, admitting she knew exactly why DeWanna Bonner reacted and still couldn’t stop herself.
The moment happened during Indiana’s 86-77 win over Phoenix, when Cunningham was involved in a verbal exchange featuring Bonner and Caitlin Clark.
Sophie Cunningham faces fine after pointing finger in Fever–Mercury altercation
Cunningham said the sequence began because she was asking an official why Clark had been given a technical foul after getting tied up earlier in the game, while Bonner had not.
“I was just kind of pointing, and she’s like, ‘Don’t you point at me.’ I was like, ‘Oh, shouldn’t have said that.’ And I didn’t say a word,” Cunningham said on her Show Me Something podcast.
Cunningham knew it was getting to Bonner
The clip became a meme because Cunningham kept pointing in Bonner’s direction as the exchange escalated, and she admitted afterwards that the whole thing looked ridiculous.
“So stupid, that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done,” Cunningham said. “I’m telling you, everyone’s like, ‘That is so dumb.’ I think it’s dumb, but it was pissing her off and I couldn’t help myself. I could not. She was losing her s**t, and all I was doing was literally pointing.”
Officials later reviewed the altercation and handed out five technical fouls.
Bonner, Clark, Cunningham, Alyssa Thomas, and Myisha Hines-Allen were all assessed technicals for their roles in the exchange.
Bonner history added to the drama
The moment also carried extra edge because Cunningham and Bonner were briefly teammates with the Fever in 2025 before Bonner left Indiana and later joined Phoenix.
Cunningham had previously said she didn’t like how Bonner’s Fever exit unfolded, saying there was “a way” to leave while still communicating professionally with teammates.
That background made the pointing meme feel less random and more personal, even if Cunningham framed it as an impulsive reaction in the middle of a tense game.
For Indiana, the win mattered most, but Cunningham’s explanation has now given the internet another reason to keep replaying the clip.