Sophie Cunningham walked into Minnesota and immediately found herself in the middle of a lot of noise.
The Indiana Fever forward was booed by much of the crowd before and during Indiana’s matchup with the Minnesota Lynx. Yet before the game got serious, Cunningham had a surprisingly calm moment with Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
The two were spotted chatting at mid-court in Minneapolis.
Reeve later opened up about the interaction, giving fans a little more context about what happened between her and Cunningham.
WNBA head coach of the Minnesota Lynx wears a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt as her team faces off against Sophie Cunningham: pic.twitter.com/8dU7P5A8ym
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 2, 2026
The conversation came before Minnesota defeated Indiana 108-100. So while the Lynx were busy preparing to protect home court, Cunningham was already dealing with a very different kind of pressure.
When Minnesota Lynx HV Cheryl Reeve, who wore a “Trans Kids Belong” t-shirt vs Indiana, was asked to share what her & Sophie Cunningham said specifically in their pregame chat, Reeve said:
“Absolutely not!”
Why not, coach? Is there something you don’t want us to know? pic.twitter.com/3cwjHGPflA
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) August 2, 2026
The crowd was not exactly rolling out a welcome mat.
The 29-year-old has become a controversial figure within the WNBA since voicing opposition to transgender athletes in women’s sports last month. Reeve, meanwhile, entered the discussion on Sunday by wearing a ‘Trans kids belong’ t-shirt during the Lynx victory.
But prior to tip-off, the two were seen having a serious discussion, which Reeve touched upon after the win.
‘I think it’s great,’ Reeve said of the talk. ‘I think both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate. There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. I think it’s how you handle things. It was nice to be in person, for sure.’
Reeve stopped short of divulging their entire conversation in her post-game comments, but did speak before the game about her stance on the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Cunningham has become a polarizing figure beyond basketball. Her outspoken personality and involvement in culture-war debates have made her a target of both criticism and support.
‘I come from a space of inclusion,’ said Reeve, who also serves as the Team USA coach. ‘The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports.
‘This is what’s bothersome. There is a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue.’
In a league where every facial expression can become a viral clip and every handshake can become a conspiracy theory, Reeve and Cunningham gave anti-trans folks a lot to talk about.
