WNBA star Sophie Cunningham is standing up for women’s sports — even when her league won’t.
The Indiana Fever guard told ESPN in an interview published Tuesday that she’s drawing a line on biological men competing against women, despite facing backlash from the woke sports establishment.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham said, addressing critics who attacked her stance on protecting female athletes.
“I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
When an ESPN interviewer suggested some people view her as Right-wing or “MAGA,” the Missouri native pushed back.
“I’m very much in the middle [politically],” Cunningham said. “I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides. And that’s all I’ve ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume.”
Cunningham’s position runs counter to the WNBA’s official stance. The league has signaled its devotion to LGBT activism, and the players’ union — the WNBPA — has explicitly advocated for transgender “inclusion.”
In 2022, the union issued a statement attacking laws that protect girls’ sports and emphasizing its commitment to “fight for trans youth across the country.”
Individual WNBA players have also promoted males in female sports. Former player Layshia Clarendon and current Las Vegas Aces forward Brianna Turner wrote a 2024 CNN opinion piece urging the NCAA to allow males in women’s spaces.
Cunningham isn’t backing down despite the league orthodoxy.
“You see so many people change or try to fit into a box,” she said. “I don’t even know what that box is. It’s a fake box. Everyone wants to look the same. Everyone wants the same vibe. Screw that. I’m gonna be me.”
“People love me or they really frickin’ hate me. I just don’t care.”
Cunningham also refused to publicly criticize President Donald Trump earlier this month when a reporter pressed her about the White House using her viral “pointing” meme.
“I think everyone around the world is posting it, every company has done it, they’re just the ones also to get on board and I don’t really think twice about it,” the athlete responded.
Female sports advocate Riley Gaines praised Cunningham’s courage on social media: “In a world full of Megan Rapinoes, be a Sophie Cunningham.”
Rapinoe, the former U.S. soccer star, advocates for males in girls’ sports.
Cunningham’s willingness to stand alone sets her apart in a league where conformity is expected — and where speaking up for women’s sports makes you the outlier.
In a world full of Megan Rapinoes, be a Sophie Cunningham pic.twitter.com/PvL8X0Y8h1
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) July 22, 2026
