Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Jul 31, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts to game play against the Portland Fire during the first half at Moda Center.
Like her or not, and many will not, nobody can accuse Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham of not standing on business.
Cunningham, who currently sits third in the WNBA in 3-point percentage at 44.7 percent on over four attempts per game, has been loudly outspoken against transgender women competing in women’s sports, and she’s both doubled and tripled down on the stance.
Some around the league have blasted Cunningham’s comments, claiming that she’s presenting a scenario that doesn’t reflect reality and that women in the WNBA face far greater threats even within their own organizations.
On top of that, the Fever currently sit in first place in the Eastern Conference at 19-10, and people are beginning to wonder if all the outside noise could prove to be a distraction for a team with championship aspirations.
Cunningham, however, says she’s not concerned.
Sophie Cunningham Says She And Her Teammates Are Locked In
“At the end of the day, I come in, and I do my job,” Cunningham said after Friday’s 112-98 victory over the Toronto Tempo. “I think everyone who knows me personally. They know that I’m full of love. I’m bubbly. I love the people around me, I love basketball, I love inspiring the next generation and doing that in a positive light. And so that doesn’t even cross my mind. Doesn’t cross my teammates’ minds.
“And again, I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me, and I’m not going to like shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.”
Superstar teammate Aliyah Boston echoed those sentiments.
“For us, we just keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s hoops,” Boston said.
Despite that fact, two rallies against transgender athletes have been held in Cunningham’s name at Indiana’s last two away games. She says those have nothing to do with her.
“I have honestly had nothing to do with them,” she said. “I think it’s people just practicing their rights of freedom of speech and doing what other fans have been doing since the WNBA has started. And so, props to them, props to everyone who is able to be competent and be bold and courageous enough to speak their truths.”
Another rally is planned for Sunday when the Fever play the Minnesota Lynx.
Fever Coach Stephanie White Is Concerned
While Cunningham and Boston say they’re locked in, Indiana coach Stephanie White isn’t as certain.
“You know there is a frustration, of course, because we want to talk about basketball and we want to continue to work on our game and we want to continue to grow as a team,” White said. “But I also understand this is part of our growth edge as a league, right? It’s part of our growth as a league, and we have to be able to manage, we have to be able to insulate as much as we can, and then we have to be able to lead with conversation.”
Will Cunningham’s comments come back to bite her and her teammates? Only time will tell. But for now, Indiana is rolling. And it doesn’t appear she’s stepping out of the spotlight anytime soon.