WNBPA pumps brakes on Sophie Cunningham pointing merch
The players union says official licensees generally cannot sell apparel built around Cunningham’s viral confrontation moment.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Sophie Cunningham’s now-famous point has traveled from a WNBA skirmish to podcasts, UFC celebrations and kids-camp photo ops. The Women’s National Basketball Players Association, though, is drawing a line at official licensed merch.
Sports business reporter Darren Rovell wrote on X on Monday that the WNBPA was blocking licensees from using the Indiana Fever guard’s pointing image, saying the union considered it “derogatory.” The post kicked up a round of debate before the union addressed the issue through Front Office Sports.
A WNBPA spokesperson told Front Office Sports that the union’s group licensing setup does not give partners a free pass to package every on-court flashpoint into a product.
“For licensed apparel, we generally do not feature or look to monetize player conduct from a confrontation between our members,” the spokesperson told Front Office Sports.
How the point took off
The gesture came during the Fever’s June 22 win over the Phoenix Mercury. Caitlin Clark and DeWanna Bonner got tangled, players from both teams moved into a heated exchange, and Cunningham pointed at Bonner during the scene, according to CBS Sports. The confrontation did not become physical, but five players were assessed technical fouls, including Clark, Cunningham and Bonner.
Cunningham later discussed the moment on her podcast, “Show Me Something,” saying she had been speaking to an official about why Bonner had not also received a technical if Clark had been given one. She said Bonner objected to the pointing, and Cunningham kept doing it.
“I didn’t say a word,” Cunningham said on the podcast, adding that she thought the whole thing was “so stupid” but that she “couldn’t help” herself once Bonner reacted.
The internet did the rest. CBS Sports reported that the gesture became one of the most widely shared sports memes of the summer, with Bill Simmons discussing it on his podcast and Cunningham recreating it while appearing as a ring girl for UFC 329.
UFC fighter Dione Barbosa also used the point as a celebration after winning at UFC Fight Night 281, according to a UFC on Paramount+ post. Fans have been posing with Cunningham using the same gesture, including at her recent kids camp.
Reporter Angela Moryan posted video of Cunningham saying the campers asked for the pose themselves. Cunningham said they greeted her by pointing when she arrived and that she had not planned for the moment to become a meme.
What the licensing fight means
The WNBPA’s group licensing agreement allows official partners to use players’ names, images and likenesses without negotiating separate deals with every player, according to CBS Sports. Those partners include NBA 2K, Fathead, Lids, New Era and Panini.
The union’s position, as explained to Front Office Sports, is that those companies face limits when the product is based on a confrontation involving WNBPA members.
That does not stop Cunningham from making her own deal. “Players are of course free to create and/or license their own product,” a WNBPA spokesperson told Front Office Sports.
CBS Sports reported there has been no public sign that Cunningham is trying to sell or license the pointing image herself.
Cunningham has been near a similar merch moment before. During the 2021 WNBA Finals, then-Chicago Sky guard Kahleah Copper stood over Cunningham after a loose-ball scramble. After Chicago won the title, Copper sold a “Never Forget Tee” featuring the incident, according to CBS Sports. The shirt is no longer available.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.