Overview
- The pointing gesture began during a June 22 Indiana Fever–Phoenix Mercury game when Sophie Cunningham pointed at DeWanna Bonner during a late-game altercation that drew multiple technical fouls.
- Sports-business reporting on July 20 prompted the WNBPA to confirm it is prohibiting official licensees such as 2K, Lids, Breaking T and Panini from using the viral image because it stems from a confrontation between union members.
- The union’s group-licensing policy blocks partner brands from creating or selling products that depict the incident, but it does not strip Cunningham of her individual NIL rights so she can sign her own deals or sell merchandise without WNBPA or WNBA marks.
- The image has become a global meme, picked up by celebrities and even a White House post, and has already boosted Cunningham’s profile with a growing social following, an Adidas sneaker collaboration and public appearances including a UFC ring-girl spot.
- The decision highlights a tension between controlling league and union branding and players’ ability to monetize viral moments, and it could shift where and how merchandise tied to the gesture appears, with independent sales and non-union channels likely to carry any products.