Sophie Cunningham tells critics to ‘suck it’ after NYT columnist demands Indiana Fever drop her

On Tuesday, columnist for The New York Times’s The Athletic Candace Buckner wrote the a piece titled, “Fever should part with Sophie Cunningham. She’s too turbulent to be paired with Caitlin Clark,” argued that Cunningham’s off-court controversies have become a distraction for the team. The report referenced public statements involving NBA players Royce White and Enes Kanter Freedom, who have publicly come out as transgender-identifying women in an effort to draw attention to the absence of protections for biological women in women’s sports.

Rather than treating those efforts as legitimate, the Athletic put the blame on Cunningham, characterizing them as part of a “circus.”

“So if the Fever ever want to go back to being a basketball team again and follow the lead of rivals openly clashing with the forces trying to hijack their league, then Cunningham has to go,” the article stated.

Cunningham has faced criticism from some in the WNBA community for her outspoken position that women’s sports should be reserved for biological women. Her views have made her a prominent figure in the ongoing debate of transgender athletes, and have drawn negative reactions from other players as well as fans and coaches.

In a recent episode of her “No Hesitation” podcast with co-host Drew Hanlen, Cunningham weighed in on the article. The pair said they would not focus too much time on the claims made and instead keep the topic centered on basketball, but Hanlen noted how the article downplayed Cunningham’s effectiveness on the court.

"That's why I literally don't even care what anyone says about me anymore. I've said this so many times is: if you're going to live by the praise, you're going to die by the hate. And the majority of these people have never picked up a ball in their entire lives, and they're just, like, thirsty to be relevant in some type of way," Cunningham said. "No matter what anyone says to me, I'm going to continue to do me. I know what I bring to the table. It's not always in the stat sheet. And so, for you to not say I'm effective or any of that, whatever, suck it.”

Buckner argued in the column that Cunningham "instantly bec[a]me a meme when she pointed at DeWanna Bonner during a confrontation and held that point for a ridiculous amount of time. The point solidified Cunningham as a protective teammate. The kind of teammate Clark needed, even if Cunningham’s effectiveness on the court didn’t shine on a traditional stat sheet."

Cunningham is set to be an unrestricted free agent this season after spending two years with the Fever. The team’s GM, Amber Cox, recently denied that the off-court controversy surrounding Cunningham is a factor in how she evaluates a potential future between Cunningham and the team.

"Sophie has had two really productive years for us, in terms of shooting the basketball. She is a really solid leader in the locker room, a great connector. She brings levity, but also brings a lot of experience. She's serious and is an important voice in our locker room when we need it," Cox said at a press conference.