Wayne Gretzky is undeniably the greatest player to ever play the game of hockey. 

Although his all-time NHL record for most goals has already been broken by Alex Ovechkin, the former Edmonton Oilers star remains widely considered the hockey GOAT.

But even Gretzky needed protection on the ice, and that’s where Dave Semenko made a living as “The Great One’s” bodyguard.

Enough with hockey. I said all that just to underscore what Cunningham means to the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark. Cunningham is the Dave Semenko to Clark’s Wayne Gretzky, at least within the Fever’s spectrum.

But coming to Clark’s defense is a responsibility that apparently goes beyond the basketball court for Cunningham.

In an episode of her “Sophie & West” podcast, the 28-year-0ld Cunningham went on a tirade targeted at everyone who refuses to accept the notion that the WNBA wouldn’t be in such an elevated pedestal today compared to where it was in the past if not for Clark.

“It pisses me off when people say she’s not the face of the league,” Cunningham said. “There are really good, well-known people in our league. I’m not discrediting them. We have a lot of badasses in our league. But when people try to argue that she’s not the face of our league, or our league would be where it’s at without her, you’re dumb as shit. You’re literally dumb as fuck.”

Yes, the WNBA is full of stars, but that has always been the case. Yet, it’s only when Clark arrived in the league that its popularity transcended.  Clark may not be the singular reason why the league is attracting such attention, but she’s someone who stands out.  

In fact, a professor from the Indiana University said that Clark “generated a whopping 26.5 percent of the entire league’s economic activity” during her rookie season in the WNBA (h/t The New York Post).

Hard to say that Cunningham isn’t feeling Clark’s impact now that she’s seeing it closer than ever as Clark’s teammate.