Sophie Cunningham has been at the center of one of the WNBA’s most heated storylines for weeks. And a quiet moment before Sunday’s game in Minneapolis only added to the intrigue. Cameras caught her deep in conversation with Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who had just made her own stance public.
Cunningham later opened up about exactly what was said between them.
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What Did Sophie Cunningham Say About Cheryl Reeve?
Before the Fever‘s matchup against the Lynx, Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve, who wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt on the sideline that day, approached Cunningham at midcourt for a conversation that quickly drew attention once it aired on the broadcast.
Speaking with Tony East afterward, Cunningham described what the exchange was actually like.
“Yeah, she just came up and I respect her for coming up in person,” Cunningham said. “I think a lot of people hide behind screens and love that type of thing. She had stories about her point of view and I had stories about my point of view and we left with love and respect and I think that’s what it’s all about.”
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Reeve offered a similar take when asked about the moment in her postgame press conference following Minnesota’s 108-100 win.
“I think it’s great,” Reeve said. “I think both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to educate, and there’s some things we have in common and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. I think it’s how you handle things. It was nice to be in person, for sure.”
The conversation came amid weeks of escalating attention on Cunningham’s comments about transgender athletes in women’s sports, first shared in an ESPN profile last month. She has stood by the remarks since, calling the position common sense, even as backlash and support alike have followed her.
Rallies in support of Cunningham have now taken place outside three consecutive Fever road games, most recently in Minneapolis on Sunday.
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Not everyone around the Fever has been eager to wade into the topic. Asked about her teammate’s comments after Sunday’s loss, Caitlin Clark declined to take a side, saying it was not something discussed in the Fever locker room and that her focus remained on basketball.
Whatever comes next in the broader debate, Sunday’s exchange between Cunningham and Reeve stood out for how it was handled. Both sides seemed to agree that a face-to-face conversation, however difficult, went further than the noise surrounding the topic for weeks.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
