Sophie Cunningham gained more than 2.9 million Instagram followers this season, a surge that has led the WNBA player to hire 24/7 security. The growth outpaced that of all other top-followed WNBA players combined and exceeded that of any NBA player during the May 8 to Nov. 2 period.
Cunningham's follower count more than tripled, increasing from approximately 1.4 million to over 4.3 million. In contrast, the other 49 most-followed WNBA players collectively gained nearly two million followers, while Knicks star Jalen Brunson saw an increase of just over one million. Victor Wembanyama added over 763,000 followers, and Karl-Anthony Towns gained 384,306.
Cunningham's increased visibility follows controversial remarks she made in July about transgender athletes in women's sports, stating she wants to "protect young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men." Her comments sparked rallies at Fever games organized by fans and gender activist groups.
"I will say… definitely in certain places people kind of knew who I was and I couldn’t really go anywhere," Cunningham said on the "No Hesitation" podcast. "Now it doesn’t matter what state, what city, it’s everywhere. And so I’ve hired security and they’re going to start traveling with me actually next week 24/7. So that’s a little different. It kind of stops you from your regular routine."
This decision comes after Cunningham disclosed on the "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von" podcast that she has approximately 20 stalkers whom the FBI is monitoring. One individual, Kevin Singh, was arrested in June on felony charges of stalking and intimidation after delivering a package containing a letter and a Gun N’ Roses t-shirt sprayed with cologne to Cunningham at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in September 2025. Singh, 48, has since been charged.
Cunningham is a free agent heading into the 2027 offseason after her team, the Indiana Fever, was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces.