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Like many sports fans these days, A.J. Dillon is locked into the WNBA, but not exactly because of Caitlin Clark.
It is actually one of her teammates — Sophie Cunningham – who has the new Philadelphia Eagles running back glued to the television.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Dillon said he was “like all the fans who became fans a week ago” when Cunningham came to the defense of Clark, who was fouled earlier in the game, by committing a flagrant foul of her own, which resulted in a huge scrum on the court and ejections.
Dillon said he was discussing the matter on his podcast with his brother-in-law and said after recording that he would buy Cunningham’s jersey. Reports surfaced that Cunningham’s jersey was out of stock, and while those were never confirmed, Dillon posted his purchase on social media.
Dillon said she earned a newfound respect for Cunningham, who he dubbed his “new favorite player,” for protecting her team’s best player.
“Caitlin Clark’s obviously the best player on that team, arguably the best player in the WNBA, if not the best. You got your star player, they’re drawing a little bit, but think about it like the quarterback. That’s our quarterback, we’re gonna make sure she’s protected. If somebody pushes Jalen Hurts, everybody’s gonna be in there. I respected that, being there for the team.” Dillon told Fox News Digital.
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Dillon added that he plans on debuting the jersey on the 4th of July on a boat.
“I’m a fan, I like that approach to the game, and just being a tough player for the team, not letting anybody push your teammates around, I like that.”
The whole ordeal occurred when Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye last week. She was also pushed to the floor by Marina Mabrey. Cunningham wrapped up Sheldon under the basket on a hard foul in the fourth quarter, and the two were ejected.
“During that, it was just part of the game. I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a build-up for a couple years now of them just not protecting the star player of the WNBA,” Cunningham told reporters days after the team lost to the Golden State Valkyries. “At the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates. That’s what I do.”
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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