Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham pointing
Photo by Grace Hollars / IndyStar (USA Today Network)
I.
Formed by extending the arm, hand, and index finger, the gesture of pointing plays an important role within human non-verbal communication - as do other hand gestures, of course - although it by no means has a universal meaning.
Thus, pointing - especially at other people - can be considered highly inappropriate in certain contexts and in many cultures; not only disrespectful, but rude and aggressive.
This seems to be because the extended finger is an accusatory gesture; one that makes people feel not only objectified and put on the spot, but blamed and shamed in some manner. And no one likes that; even those who are guilty of wrongdoing and deserve to be pointed out and pointed at.
II.
Whether that includes the professional basketball player DeWanna Bonner who was finger-pointed at for 22 seconds by opposing player - and now social media sensation - Sophie Cunningham, I don't know.
Bonner certainly issued some choice words at Cunningham after a brief altercation involving Bonner and one of Cunningham's teammates (Caitlin Clark) in the 4th quarter of a game between Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury [1], but (as far as I understand) trash talk is an accepted, deeply ingrained part of the game in US basketball.
So whether she deserved to have Cunningham pointing at her - after foolishly making it clear how much she objected to being pointed at - for such a ridiculously prolonged period is debatable. However, what is not debatable is that the incident was hilarious (dumb, but hilarious!) [2] - and that Miss Cunningham is a true star of the internet age.
For as one might imagine, a countless number of memes have now been generated, including one (shown below) which gives us a glimpse of the celestial nature of a 29-year-old woman who has built a reputation as one of the WNBA's most fearless and competitive players, forever ready to stand up to her opponents on the one hand and stand up for her teammates on the other.
D. H. Lawrence famously suggested in his late verses that aspects of divinity are revealed in the faces and forms of individuals when they are momentarily unaware of themselves in the moment. He calls this purity and it this quality which gives human beings their more-than-human beauty; which makes their flesh gleam with a kind of radiance and the bright flame of being [3].
A lot of people hate (and fear) artificial intelligence, but seeing this AI generated meme arguably enables us to understand what Lawrence means ...
.jpg)
Image of Sophie Cunningham giving us a glimpse
of the goddess within her
Notes
[1] This game was played on 22 June 2026 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Phoenix Mercury by 86 points to 77.
It might also be noted that Bonner and Cunningham have a complicated history as former teammates. Both played for the Fever during the 2025 season before Bonner abruptly left the team after just nine games. Cunningham later criticised Bonner on her podcast for failing to send a professional goodbye text to her teammates, establishing a deep-seated rivalry long before this game.
[2] To watch the incident on Instagram, click here.
[3] For more on this idea and for references to the relevant poems by D. H. Lawrence, see the post titled 'I Shall Speak of Geist, of Flame, and of Glimpses' (29 Sept 2021): click here.
