Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever points during the game against the Phoenix Mercury. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
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A viral clip of WNBA star Sophie Cunningham pointing intensely at a rival player has gifted social media users a perfect reaction image.
The clip resembles a melodramatic reality TV scene, with Cunningham’s unwavering eye contact and powerful pointing finger proving strangely compelling.
Memes featuring the prolonged point spread far enough for Cunningham to comment on her heated moment, giving some context to the unusual clip.
Where Did The ‘Sophie Cunningham Pointing’ Meme Come From?
Cunningham’s clip was plucked out of a WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) game that took place on June 22, between Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury.
During the game, Fever player Caitlin Clark received a technical foul after a physical altercation with DeWanna Bonner, who plays for Phoenix Mercury.
The clash between the two players inspired Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham to point her finger at Bonner, asking referees why Bonner had not been given a technical foul.
Disagreement over a referee’s decision isn’t exactly unusual for a basketball game, but the amount of time that Cunningham spends pointing at Bonner is cartoonishly long, and quickly caught the attention of social media users.
The day after the fateful WNBA game (which Indiana Fever won, the final score 86-77), a clip of the moment was posted on X (Twitter), by user JerryWatkins22.
The clip immediately blew up, and has since been viewed more than 32 million times on the platform.
Initially, the post inspired simple, relatable memes and one-liners, but as the clip spread through the internet, reactions began to diversify.
The image has since sparked wholesome memes about sibling rivalry, and been reimagined as a renaissance painting.
In certain online spaces, the heated moment attracted some unorthodox interpretations.
Several social media users compared the point to a similar, classic meme featuring Leo DiCaprio in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood—Cunningham herself even referenced the meme, posting an edit splicing the two images together on Instagram.
What Did Sophie Cunningham Say About Her Pointing Meme?
Five days after her WNBA game, Sophie Cunningham discussed the viral meme on her podcast, Show Me Something, explaining her thinking at the time.
A short clip of Cunningham’s explanation was posted on TikTok, where it gained more than 400 thousand views.
Cunningham described the moment as “the stupidest thing I’ve ever done,” admitting that she held the now-iconic point for so long simply because it was annoying Bonner.
Cunningham stated that she believed Bonner deserved a technical foul, and that she maintained the point after sparking a strong reaction.
“I was just kind of pointing, and [Bonner] was like, ‘Don’t you point at me!’ And I was like, ‘Oh, shouldn’t have said that.’ And I didn’t say a word. So stupid. Like, that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done … I couldn’t help myself. I could not. She was losing her s**t, and all I was doing was literally pointing.”
Cunningham concluded that her clip went viral because of her silence: “It played so well because I literally did not say a word.”
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