Wesson woman meets WNBA star Cunningham, appears in commercial
Special to Wesson News
A spur-of-the-moment trip to Chicago turned into an unforgettable adventure for Wesson resident Mandy Douglas, who not only met WNBA star Sophie Cunningham but ended up appearing in a national Hibbett commercial advertising Adidas.
Douglas decided to fly to the Chicago area during WNBA All-Star weekend after learning Cunningham would appear at a store in nearby Romeoville, Illinois, for the release of her new signature shoe. Rather than pay for All-Star Game tickets, Douglas opted to attend the WNBA All-Star Experience at a Chicago convention center and make the drive to Romeoville for the shoe release.
She arrived at the store in the middle of the night, long before sunrise, and waited alone in her car until other fans began showing up. Among them was a father with his two children and a woman named Jennifer, who would end up standing in line just behind Douglas.
“I was number one getting in line,” Douglas said, noting she had traveled the farthest of anyone she met that day. As the hours passed, the small group of strangers grew close, sharing chairs, snacks and conversation while they waited for the doors to open at 10 a.m.
By the time the shoes went on sale, Douglas said she’d learned the father worked in law enforcement and that his daughter had a tradition of playing rock-paper-scissors with the basketball stars she met. The woman behind her in line, Jennifer, turned out to be a teacher near Indianapolis.
Douglas was among the first customers in the store and received a free T-shirt featuring Cunningham’s now-famous pointing gesture, a nod to her on-court pointing altercation with an opponent in a past game.
Another reason Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is receiving much attention is for discussing biological sex and competitive divisions in women’s sports during an interview with ESPN, saying she believes in protecting “young girls in a locker room” and ensuring that young female athletes are not required to compete against “biological men.”
Cunningham’s comments come as the WNBA continues to experience rapid growth in popularity, revenue and player compensation. Her own earnings reflect that shift: after making roughly $100,000 last season, her salary has reportedly increased to $665,000, highlighting the league’s expanding financial power and growing investment in its players.
Douglas met Cunningham in person during her trip, got an autograph on a hat, took a photo and recorded video of the young girl ahead of her playing rock-paper-scissors with the star, a clip that racked up thousands of views after the girl’s father posted it online.
It wasn’t until later that Douglas realized a drone had been filming the crowd outside the store for an Adidas commercial. She said Jennifer pointed out that the two of them appeared in the ad not once, but twice.
“We’re official,” Douglas recalled Jennifer telling her.
Douglas said the friendships she made in line meant as much as meeting Cunningham. She spent the rest of the day with the father and his children at the All-Star Experience, later joined them for dinner, and has stayed in touch with the family since. She returned to the Indianapolis area a few weeks later to attend a Fever game with Jennifer.
A former professional football player for the New Orleans Blaze women’s team, Douglas said her lifelong love of sports and her growing interest in the WNBA — fueled partly by Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the league — drove her decision to make the trip. She said she was once interviewed by an Atlanta news station about Clark’s impact on the game after attending a Fever road game.
Reflecting on the trip, Douglas said the experience reaffirmed her faith in people.
“There are good people all over the world,” she said, crediting the strangers-turned-friends who looked out for her during the trip. “We’re the hospitality state, and that’s what we do.”
The trip was a success. Douglas got exactly what she set out for—and left with a reminder of just how far the WNBA and women’s sports have come.
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