Sophie Cunningham’s Viral Point At DeWanna Bonner Won’t Show Up On Official WNBA Merch — Here’s Why

by USports EditorsJuly 21, 2026, 5:59 pm >

Sophie Cunningham‘s now-famous 22-second stare-down with DeWanna Bonner has spawned one of the WNBA’s biggest cultural moments in years, but fans hoping to buy the officially branded version of the gesture are out of luck.

The moment happened when the Indiana Fever guard aimed an extended, silent finger-point at the Phoenix Mercury forward during a late-June matchup, an interaction that quickly snowballed into memes across social media — the White House’s own X account even joined in. The clip has since padded Cunningham’s following by nearly a million on Instagram alone.

Despite that reach, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association has told its licensing partners to steer clear of the image.

The union is barring companies from producing goods built around what it labeled a “derogatory” exchange between two of its own members.

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That restriction covers major partners such as 2K, Panini, New Era, Lids, BreakingT, Aflac, JPMorgan Chase and Funko.

Crucially, the ban only applies to union-affiliated licensees — it doesn’t stop Cunningham herself from cashing in. She retains full control over her own name, image and likeness, meaning she could strike her own apparel or merchandise deal independent of WNBPA-approved brands, even partnering with companies that already hold union licenses if she chose. The union is essentially staying out of it rather than shutting the door.

There’s precedent for a player doing exactly that: in 2021, Kahleah Copper turned a staredown with Cunningham during the Finals into her own line of T-shirts. Unlicensed sellers have already moved in on Cunningham’s moment too, with shirts referencing the pointing gesture popping up on Etsy, TeePublic and Shein.

Cunningham hasn’t shied away from the newfound attention regardless of merchandising restrictions. She’s appeared as a UFC octagon girl and, during a podcast appearance with Shannon Spake, referred to Bonner as “Miss Priss.”

On the court, the moment hasn’t overshadowed a solid season: Cunningham is putting up 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while connecting on 43.7% of her three-point attempts, good for ninth-best league-wide.