Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has a message for WNBA reporters: remember the basketball.
Yes, the thing with the orange ball, the thing involving dribbling, shooting, defending, and occasionally someone yelling at a referee like their life depends on it.
Cunningham said Wednesday that she believes WNBA coverage has drifted away from the actual games. According to her, too much attention has been placed on topics outside basketball, including the ongoing discussions surrounding her stance on transgender athletes.
Sophie Cunningham: "The WNBA media, all we ever do is cover everything except basketball … You can talk about other things, those are great stories, it shows fans who people outside of the court, but I think we gotta keep the main thing the main thing."pic.twitter.com/AgVTTfHA43
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) August 5, 2026
And now she wants the spotlight pointed back toward the court.
“The WNBA media, all we ever do is cover everything except basketball,” Cunningham told reporters at practice. She added that she wants to “keep the main thing the main thing.”
Cunningham has been at the center of a national debate since a July ESPN profile quoted her saying women “shouldn’t have to go against biological men” in sport. She has since stood by the remarks, and the White House weighed in on her behalf last month, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the backlash against her “astonishing.”
Cunningham believes the constant focus on off-court debates has taken attention away from the players, teams, and competition. She feels the athletes are working hard, but the headlines sometimes have a way of running in a completely different direction.
Rallies supporting Cunningham followed the Fever to Seattle and Portland, and a third demonstration in Minneapolis drew both her supporters and counterprotesters, according to the Associated Press. Organizers have said two more pro-Cunningham rallies are planned: one Saturday in Chicago as the Fever visit the Sky, and another Aug. 22 in New York against the Liberty.
The tension crested Sunday when Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wore a shirt reading “Trans Kids Belong” while coaching against Cunningham’s Fever, a game Minnesota won, 108-100. Cunningham said she and Reeve spoke before the game and parted on good terms. “I think a lot of people hide behind screens,” Cunningham said, “and love that type of thing.”
The WNBA is filled with incredible athletes making highlight plays, breaking records, and creating unforgettable moments. Those stories deserve plenty of room too.
At the end of the day, Cunningham is asking for balance. She is not saying people should stop talking. She is saying maybe save some space for the scoreboard.
