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WNBA superstar Sophie Cunningham continues to be a lightning rod for headlines, whether it be viral moments on the court or comments made in the media. Recently, Cunningham was in the headlines over her comments about transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Cunningham made it clear that she does not “dislike anyone,” but that she wants to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Those comments led to some backlash on social media, with some calling Cunningham “anti-trans” for her views, so ahead of the Indiana Fever’s final game before the All-Star Break, she was asked about the response to her comments.
Cunningham doubled-down on her comments, standing ten toes down on her mission to “protect children.”
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Sophie Cunningham Doubles Down On Controversial Comments
Sophie Cunningham responds to criticism over her recent comments to ESPN about wanting to protect women's sports from "biological men."
"I said what I said. I think it's kind of common sense.
When it comes just to protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very… pic.twitter.com/2uh0MWj8zM
— Genevieve Gluck (@WomenReadWomen) July 23, 2026
“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham said, via The Athletic. “And I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.
“I think that there are rights that need to be protected. And, like I said, I’m gonna stand true to that. I’ll never falter in my beliefs in that. When it comes just to protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that. That’s why you have Title IX. That’s why you have some of the greats in women’s sports. If Title IX women’s sports weren’t protected, then you wouldn’t hear about any type of women in sport… But I have never once stated that I hated the trans community.”
MORE: Sophie Cunningham takes subtle jab at WNBA for 3-point contest snub in now-deleted post
Cunningham added that there is “room to love everyone” and she does not dislike any single group of people, but there are certain beliefs that she will not back down from.
When asked if she would take on an advocacy role regarding the issue, Cunningham said she is “not a very political person.” Unfortunately for Cunningham, that won’t stop her comments from being spun for certain narratives, so she will likely continue to hear questions regarding the topic.
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