This story originally appeared on Them.
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham is using her platform to target an already vulnerable group: transgender women in sports.
In a wide-ranging profile with ESPN, in which the Indiana Fever guard reflected on her rough tactics on the court, controversial public image, and how she’s been dubbed “MAGA Barbie” by some, the 29-year-old also doubled down on previous comments opposing trans inclusion in athletics.
While she apologized for re-sharing an anti-trans tweet about swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022, saying at the time, “We all have a place in this world to compete and I hope we are able to grant everyone that opportunity fairly,” Cunningham is making it clear where she stands today.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” she told ESPN. “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.”
Even Cunningham’s brief comment contains multiple anti-trans dog whistles, like the language of “protection” —a claim that top women’s pro sports athletes like two-time Olympic medalist Megan Rapinoe say actively harms women and girls.
Indeed, Cunningham’s stance appears to be deeply unpopular in the famously LGBTQ+ world of women’s sports — and the ensuing online backlash has been swift. WNBA fans, sports writers, and athletes alike have all spoken out against Cunningham’s comments.
“Sophie Cunningham is unafraid,” Roberta F. Rodrigues, a Forbes sports writer and co-host of Black Rosie Media, wrote on X. “Unafraid to be blatantly transphobic.”
Sophie Cunningham is unafraid. Unafraid to be blatantly transphobic.
“I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men.”
Her own words. In an ESPN article.https://t.co/akyv3UnSSl
— Roberta 🏳️🌈 (@robertawbb) July 21, 2026
“Sophie Cunningham openly clings to one of the most tired, transphobic tropes and I’m supposed [to] believe she doesn’t stand for the worst of the worst in this country,” Christian Braswell, writer of the Swish Happens Here column for Fearless FC, wrote on X.
Sophie Cunningham openly clings to one of the most tired, transphobic tropes and I’m supposed believe she doesn’t stand for the worst of the worst in this country
— christan (no i), ß (@ChristanWNBA) July 22, 2026
If the widespread backlash from the WNBA fandom wasn’t enough to confirm what an incorrect take Cunningham shared, notorious fifth-place finisher and right-wing grifter Riley Gaines had to chime in and express her support.
“In a world full of Megan Rapinoes, be a Sophie Cunningham,” she wrote on X.
Yes, in a world full of Olympic gold medalists with hearts of gold, be… transphobic? So true! Ultimately, the WNBA and its fanbase is too queer to let the comments slide, and commenters are continuing to hold her to account.
“Btw if the ‘No Space for Hate’ campaign applies to fans, coaches and players alike, Sophie should be suspended for spewing transphobic dogwhistles publicly,” Andrea Richmond, sports commentator and writer, posted on X. “Trans W players like Layshia [Clarendon] shouldn't have to accept hate from a player of her former team.”
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