Sophie Cunningham makes Ryan Clark eat his words with dominant performance after his insulting remarks

Former ESPN analyst Ryan Clark has questioned the amount of media attention given to Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, arguing that coverage of the WNBA should concentrate more heavily on its leading teams and players.

Clark made the comments through social media and his The Pivot podcast, although he did not refer to Cunningham by name.

“Divisive gossip from a 9-point scorer gets more attention than the league’s best teams and players,” Clark wrote on Tuesday while sharing a clip from the podcast.

His remarks appeared directed at Cunningham following her comments about protecting girls and women in locker rooms and athletic competition.

Clark was laid off by ESPN last month as part of a wider group of departures that also included Cam Newton and Karl Ravech. He subsequently said on his podcast that he had been fired and claimed that he had not been permitted to be “too black” while working for the network.

Clark questions which players receive attention

During his latest podcast discussion, Clark argued that television networks have elevated players whose influence does not primarily come from their performances on the court.

“We’re seeing players who don’t even average 10 points a game, and that’s who’s on your networks and TVs, answering questions and starting back and forths about things that aren’t basketball,” he said.

Clark maintained that media organizations should place greater emphasis on basketball itself and be more selective about the topics they promote.

“To me, it’s about pushing the right things,” he continued. “Talking about the right things. Making sure the right things are at the forefront of people’s mind.”

Although Cunningham was not directly named, his reference to a nine-point scorer and the timing of the remarks connected the criticism to the Fever guard and the attention surrounding her public comments.

The disagreement reflects a wider debate about whether WNBA coverage should remain centered on games or include the political and cultural issues raised by its players.

Cunningham’s profile extends beyond her statistics

Cunningham gained substantial attention after defending teammate Caitlin Clark during a physical moment on the court last season.

She returned to the spotlight after speaking about the importance of protecting girls in locker rooms, a position that generated further public discussion.

Clark’s criticism suggested that those conversations had overshadowed more accomplished players and stronger teams. Cunningham’s latest performance, however, demonstrated her value to Indiana on the court as well.

In the Fever’s most recent victory, Cunningham scored 12 points in 22 minutes. She made four of her five attempts, with all four successful shots coming from three-point range.

Her plus-minus rating was plus-17, the highest recorded by any player in the game. That figure placed her ahead of Caitlin Clark, who scored 22 points, and Kelsey Mitchell, who led all scorers with 28.

Cunningham also ranks second across the WNBA in three-point accuracy with a 45.5% shooting percentage.

Those numbers do not place her among the league’s highest scorers, but they show that her contribution cannot be assessed solely through her average points per game.