Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) celebrates a 3-pointer Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, during the first half of Game 1 of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Dallin Ballard · Gameday Chatter Wed, November 4, 2026 at 6:03 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sophie Cunningham is the most talked-about player in the WNBA right now, but the price of that attention is getting scary. According to the New York Post , the Indiana Fever guard gained over 2.9 million Instagram followers this season. That is more than the next 49 most-followed WNBA players combined. It is also more than any single NBA star added to their following during the same stretch. The numbers are wild, but the reality on the ground is far from glamorous.
Cunningham's following more than tripled, jumping from 1.4 million to over 4.3 million loyal fans. This explosion happened while she was making headlines for her comments on transgender athletes in women's sports. She told ESPN in July that she wants to "protect young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men." Those words sparked rallies and heated debates across the league. But they also drew the wrong kind of attention from people who are not just fans.
Now, the 30-year-old free agent has hired security to travel with her 24/7. She told cohost Drew Hanlen on the "No Hesitation" podcast on Monday that she cannot go anywhere in certain places anymore. "I will say… definitely in certain places people kind of knew who I was and I couldn't really go anywhere," Cunningham said. The situation has changed so fast that she needs protection in every state and city she visits. It stops her from living a regular life.
According to the "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von" podcast, she disclosed that the FBI monitors 20 stalkers targeting her. "We do have a lot of stalkers, I know I do… And thats' the negative side of things that people don't think about," Cunningham told Von. One of those stalkers, 48-year-old Kevin Singh, already delivered a package with a letter and a Guns N' Roses T-shirt to her arena. Singh was arrested on felony charges in June for stalking and intimidation.
Cunningham says she does not pay attention to the haters, but she admits the stress is real. With the Fever defeated by the Aces, she enters the 2027 offseason as a free agent. The league grew because of her, but she is the one paying the highest price for that growth.
Source: Sports
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