Sophie Cunningham, the biggest Caitlin Clark defender in the room, didn’t hold back when Napheesa Collier revealed what the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert had said about Clark in her great exposé.  Back then, she immediately took to her YouTube podcast and fired back at the commissioner. A few days have passed since the incident, and Cunningham seems to have calmed down a bit. Might we even add, as per her latest podcast episode, she might just be rethinking her words of support after all. 

In the October 8 episode of the Show Me Something podcast, Cunningham expressed her regret on the way she delivered her reaction to the commissioner. “I’m not going back on what I said, but I might have been a little harsh on how I said it. But you know what? It’s also me, you know, but it’s fine. It is what it is.” Her co-host West Wilson had to ask: “Wasth at an official apology?” and Cunningham clarified further:

“No. Absolutely not.” But she also added, “I’m with (it), I can give an apology. I can admit when I’m wrong. I just think that what I said was valid and a lot of people agree with it, but maybe how I said it could have been better… I just maybe shouldn’t have cussed.” That’s right, maybe she shouldn’t have. But given, Cunningham’s history of fines and what was said about her friend, it’s hard to put it past her. 

In her exit interview, Collier had alleged Engelbert dismissed players’ contributions and downplayed their value to the league’s success, stating, “Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.” While discussing Engelbert’s alleged comments with her co-host Wilson, she had given a scathing criticism of the commissioner, saying:

“Great leaders want to see other people be more successful than them… hey wanna make sure they’re cared for… You can be respectful and treat your product, the product of why people are paying attention, why people are buying certain jersey. Treat your product with respect like a great leader.” According to her, the commissioner had done the opposite. “She’s not, in any sense. And it’s just the disrespect is just crazy to me,” Cunningham added. The Fever veteran went a step ahead, suggesting that the commissioner should seek help. 

Cunningham already has a long list of fines going back to June this year, and many expected yet another one:

• June 18, 2025, Game altercation fine: Cunningham committed a Flagrant 2 foul on Connecticut Sun’s Jacy Sheldon with less than a minute left in the game, sparking a late-game scuffle. She was ejected from the game and the WNBA fined her according to league rules (reported around $400 for the flagrant foul). They additionally penalized her for her role in the altercation, though the exact figure was not disclosed. This incident stemmed from Cunningham stepping in to defend teammate Caitlin Clark amid multiple on-court confrontations.
• July 23, 2025, TikTok video fine: Cunningham was fined $500 for a TikTok video where she lip-synced to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild”. The video included lines referencing “some refs” as “stupid,” “slow,” or “useless,” which drew league attention. Cunningham responded publicly, saying: “This is funny to me… like ok 👍🏼 you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now.”
• August 5, 2025, Podcast comments fine ($1,500): On the premiere episode of her podcast “Show Me Something,” Cunningham criticized WNBA referees, calling them “so inconsistent” and questioning routine calls. She said, according to the Indianapolis Star:  “If I was a ref, I know I would mess up all the time… They’re just so inconsistent, like that’s one thing. … And you fining me $500 is not going to do —-.” Cunningham predicted a fine from the WNBA, and was correct. Indiana Fever GM Amber Cox informed her that the league would fine her $1,500 for her comments. Cunningham added: “I even told them I credited them that their job was hard… But yeah, so I got fined for that.”

However, she confirmed on the same episode of her podcast that she wasn’t fined this time.“I got a text from our GM and like we’ve been done. there’s really nothing to talk about and I got a text like ah sh-t like I’m getting fined. And it wasn’t a fine. So, like I think that I’m off the radar because we lost. But yeah, that is good.”

It’s possible the league has been busy managing the controversy that the comments stem from, which may be delaying the fine for Cunningham. After all, the WNBA postponed the announcement of the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, originally scheduled for October 1, due to the ongoing drama. The league has now confirmed the announcement will happen on October 8.

Furthermore, her public admission of regret over the comments could save her from facing another penalty from the WNBA. But, even if she gets another fine, we guess the GoFundMe campaign she has (jokingly) started to receive donations ($26,000 is the goal, by the way) for the fines she received from the WNBA this year could help. 

That said, the Indiana Fever coach isn’t too pleased with how Caitlin Clark’s name has been used to fit certain narratives. Here’s what she had to say.

Stephanie White unhappy with the way Caitlin Clark’s name is being used

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White isn’t happy with how certain personalities in the WNBA are leveraging Caitlin Clark’s popularity to push their own agendas. While she didn’t call out anyone by name, it’s clear what she’s referring to. Clark’s name is at the center of the ongoing off-court battle between Napheesa Collier and Cathy Engelbert.

“I hate it all for Caitlin. You know, she’s a 23-year-old kid who loves to play this game who is a pawn in a lot of other people’s games and a lot of other people’s narratives,” White said on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan’s Query & Company show. The head coach added that she’ll be there to “offer perspective and do what we can to help deflect and navigate,” but ultimately, “it’s a life that she(Caitlin Clark) has to lead.”

No one knows how it will play out as the league edges closer to its October 31 deadline. If the WNBPA and WNBA fail to reach an agreement, a lockout could be on the horizon. Will it come to that, or will they agree to an extension? Too many question marks remain, and only time will answer them all.