The Indiana Fever may be a team on the rise, but it’s not just their record or Caitlin Clark‘s stats that have fans talking.
A new nickname, a custom T-shirt, and a blossoming off-court friendship are quickly becoming one of the most beloved storylines in the WNBA this season.
The trio of Caitlin Clark, Lexie Hull, and Sophie Cunningham, nicknamed “Tres Leches”, has captivated both Fever fans and the wider basketball world.
On Sunday, Sophie Cunningham made her entrance into Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena wearing a bold new statement piece: a custom “Tres Leches” shirt.
The tee features a stylized drawing of Clark, Hull, and Cunningham all wearing their Fever uniforms, along with the nickname splashed proudly across the top.
The design, produced and sold by Barstool Sports, quickly began trending among Fever supporters online.
A nickname becomes a movement
The term “Tres Leches”, a playful nod to the popular Latin American dessert and the trio’s undeniable chemistry, was first coined by Fever fans and quickly embraced by the players themselves.
Whether on the bench, during warmups, or postgame interviews, the bond between Clark, Hull, and Cunningham is impossible to ignore. They joke together, support each other, and, in Cunningham‘s case, defend each other with fierce loyalty.
After being traded to Indiana from the Phoenix Mercury, Cunningham didn’t waste time ingratiating herself with the team and the fanbase. Her physical, gritty style of play already made her a standout, but her unapologetic support of Clark during a contentious Mercury matchup turned her into a viral sensation.
Following a hard foul on Clark that many fans believed went unpunished, Cunningham responded later in the game by committing her own foul, this time against Mercury rookie Jacy Sheldon. While some criticized the move as excessive, many others viewed it as a stand for team unity and fairness.
“I’m not focused on the extracurricular activities,” Cunningham said after practice on Saturday. “It was just part of the game. I think the refs had a lot to do with that – it was a build-up of a couple of years now of them just not protecting the star player of the WNBA. At the end of the day, I’m gonna protect my teammates, that’s what I do.”
Despite the media buzz and the hype around the trio, Sunday’s game didn’t go the Fever‘s way. The team fell 89-81 to the Las Vegas Aces, with Cunningham going scoreless in 17 minutes.
Clark, meanwhile, continues to headline with her performance, and Hull has found a new wave of support as a consistent and underrated contributor.
Read the full article here
