Why fans think Sophie Cunningham shredded Caitlin Clark on her new podcast

Sophie Cunningham has relaunched her dormant podcast under new branding -- and it hasn't taken long for the Indiana Fever guard to find herself in hot water already.

Cunningham, often a magnet for controversy, has drawn renewed scrutiny online for a segment on her new podcast, "No Hesitation," which was launched Thursday as the successor to "Show Me Something."

During the penultimate segment of Thursday's podcast -- which Cunningham co-hosts with trainer Drew Hanlen -- Cunningham broke down the Fever's defensive struggles and how Indiana can fix them once Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark return from the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.

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Indiana has the offensive firepower of a possible WNBA champion, but the Fever ranks a mediocre 11th in defensive efficiency. And some fans on X think Cunningham has squarely blamed Clark for the Fever's inconsistency on that end.

"It's very rare for all five of us out on the court to be on a string, because there's always one person who is just kind of ball-watching and not doing what they're supposed to do. We shoot ourselves in the foot," Cunningham said. "Or, we play really good defense, and then we don't go and get the rebound, and then they get a wide-open 3. Against us, people shoot the s--- out of it, we're everyone's Super Bowl."

damn soph who you talking about?? 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/IqhqemEa8A

X users pinpointed Clark as the target of Cunningham's comments, their reasoning being that the three-time All-Star guard has long been seen as Indiana's weakest defender and the player whom opposing coaches are quick to target.

However, the segment in totality isn't really about Clark: it is about the Fever's team-wide inattention to detail despite boasting the WNBA's top-ranked offense.

"It's just a little bit more effort from everybody," Cunningham says at the start of the segment. "We can't go and reinvent the wheel, and I think there are some times that we show that we are very good at executing our defense and that we are all on the same string. But when you're playing against such high-level athletes, even if one person isn't doing that they're supposed to do, you're gonna get screwed."

Cunningham revealed that the Fever has been working to "perfect certain schemes," but Indiana is "screwed" by its scramble defending and inability to box out consistently.

In the past 16 seasons, only the 2025 Las Vegas Aces managed to win the WNBA Finals despite ranking lower than sixth in regular-season defensive rating. Cunningham knows how important it is for all of her teammates -- not just Clark specifically -- to step up on that end if Indiana is to win its first title since 2012.

"We have got to clean up our defense," Cunningham said.

More WNBA news:

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• Ezi Magbegor injury proves A'ja Wilson made the right FIBA World Cup decision

• Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham makes waves with bikini boat day during WNBA break

• Angel Reese comes clean about Caitlin Clark bond after USA dominates Hungary