Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is again in the spotlight after ESPN published a profile on the mercurial star on July 21.
In it, Cunningham talked about trans participation in sports but denied hating trans people and said she was simply weighing in to “protect women’s sports.”
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“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,'” Cunningham 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.”
Cunningham shared a tweet from CBS Sports host Josh Pate about the controversy surrounding former Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competing on the women’s team in 2022. The now deleted tweet said: “Female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this.”
In the aftermath, Cunningham released this statement:
In the story, Cunningham disagrees with the “MAGA Barbie” label she has been given, saying she isn’t as easy to pin down and some would like her to be.
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“I’m very much in the middle. 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 is averaging 9.4 points per game for the Fever (16-10). They are in action on Wednesday, July 22, against the Connecticut Sun (8 p.m. ET, USA Network) in their last game before the All-Star break.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fever’s Sophie Cunningham clarifies stance on trans participation
