Sophie Cunningham, the Phoenix Mercury’s star point guard, arrived at a recent game against the New York Liberty in an outfit that left no one indifferent. Cunningham’s bold style statement quickly made waves online, with the Phoenix Mercury X account adding to the buzz by describing her entrance as “a hot new bombshell [entering] the villa.” Fans were eager to share their thoughts on social media, expressing a range of reactions to Cunningham's attention-grabbing look.
The outfit, which revealed tan lines acquired during the midseason break, generated significant attention and further emphasized the growing intersection of fashion and sports in the WNBA. One fan pointed at the team’s marketing strategy to engage the audience and wrote, “Their team is sexualizing them.” Another user shared a couple of her images in the same outfit and reacted, “MY OHHH MYYY,” along with three fire emojis.
In today’s internet world, more and more users are hooked to the comments section of any viral post to have a laugh at it or just enjoy the vibe. A fan took the similar route as his comment read, “Well, let me just read comments.” “We need daily Sophie media,” wrote another user.
Despite the buzz surrounding Cunningham's pregame outfit, the game itself saw a different outcome for the star player. While her entrance may have turned heads, Cunningham's on-court performance fell short, as she managed to score only 2 points with 5 rebounds on 1-for-5 shooting in an 84-70 loss to the New York Liberty.
The game also saw Breanna Stewart's impressive performance of scoring 21 points, combined with Courtney Vandersloot's 16 points, fueled the New York Liberty to a solid victory over the Mercury. The game took a decisive turn in the fourth quarter when the Liberty went on a dominant 10-0 run, with key contributions from players like Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich.
Ionescu's five points, including a crucial turnaround jumper by Stewart, helped the Liberty extend their lead from 64-57 to a commanding 17-point advantage midway through the final period. The Liberty's well-rounded effort was evident, with Jonquel Jones adding 15 points and a total of 12 3-pointers made by the team during the game. On the other hand, Brittney Griner put up a strong fight for the Mercury with 22 points but was hindered by turnovers, including seven of the team's 20 turnovers, which proved costly.
Despite the efforts of players like Natasha Cloud, Kahleah Copper, and Diana Taurasi, who contributed 18, 14, and 10 points, respectively, the Mercury fell short. New York's efficiency behind the arc, shooting 12 for 29 compared to Phoenix's 5 for 22, played a significant role in securing their victory and improving their season record to an impressive 27-5.
The WNBA has quickly turned into a fashion spectacle as athletes like Cunningham, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Kelsey Plum and others are making their tunnel walks into a fashion show. Cunningham's gameday wardrobe choice, however, sparked significant discussion about the boundaries of expression and fashion in the WNBA. It seems that the debate will continue as Cunningham's style choices continue to push boundaries and make headlines, making her one of the league's most talked-about players both on and off the court.
