Sophie Cunningham has become one of the most polarizing figures in the WNBA with her recent comments against the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports.
The Indiana Fever star was once again in the spotlight on Thursday night, this time for her on-court performance.
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WNBA World Reacts As Sophie Cunningham Struggles in the Fever’s Loss to the Aces
Cunningham found her form late last month, scoring 11 and 13 points against the Seattle Storm and the Portland Fire, respectively. However, she has struggled in the Fever’s last two games and was held to just 2 points on 0-of-2 shooting against the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday.
The 6-foot-1 guard came off the bench and played 28 minutes, with both her points coming from the free-throw line. She also had 3 rebounds during the 86-84 overtime loss.
Fans criticized Cunningham for her performance, with many pointing out her comments about wanting the media to talk about the basketball side of things rather than focusing on her comments on trans athletes.
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“All that talking just to score 2 points lmaooo I hate her [expletive],” wrote one user on X.
“Sophie Cunningham had more microphones in her face this week than points last night. Bout time for y’all to wrap that up,” commented another.
The trolls were out in full force to criticize Cunningham following the Fever’s overtime loss. One fan responded to a user who had claimed that the Missouri alum would put up a “crazy” performance in the next game.
“SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM TONIGHT 28 MINUTES. 2 POINTS. 3 REBOUNDS. 0 ASSISTS. 0 STEALS. 0 BLOCKS. 0/2 FG. 0/1 3FG. 2/2 FTS. HER NEXT GAME WAS NOT CRAZY MY GUY,” they wrote.
“Paid Cardio,” wrote another user.
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However, not everyone in the WNBA world was critical of Cunningham. One user praised the 29-year-old for everything she has done to protect and represent women’s sports with her comments in recent weeks.
“And still did more to represent women’s sports than the rest of the league,” they wrote.
Fever superstar Caitlin Clark also had some lapses in crunch time as the Fever blew a 20-point lead and fell to a second-straight defeat.
After losing back-to-back games, the Fever will hope to find some form on Saturday when they take on the Chicago Sky (tip-off at 3:30 p.m. ET). A crunch run of games awaits Clark, Cunningham, and co. as they look to bolster their playoff hopes before the FIBA World Cup break.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
