Caitlin Clark breaks her silence on Sophie Cunningham controversy and brutally shuts down reporter after being quizzed on WNBA trans drama
Caitlin Clark was involved in a testy exchange with a reporter after being quizzed about her teammate Sophie Cunningham’s controversial comments on protecting women’s sports.
Clark faced the media after Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx, which was overshadowed by protestors clashing outside the arena, and rival head coach Cheryl Reeve wearing a pro-trans shirt at the side of the court.
The Indiana Fever superstar seemed in no mood to delve deep into her own thoughts on the subject, though, as she quickly shut down two reporters and refused to answer questions on the divisive topic.
‘I think, for us, it’s not really a discussion we really have in our locker room,’ Clark said to a packed media room after the 108-100 loss. ‘I think it’s for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions, but our focus is on basketball.
‘That’s what we talk about and how we can get wins, and, obviously, we didn’t do that tonight.’
A second reporter then followed up with a question on the same subject, to which he was met by Clark saying: ‘I just answered for you.’
Caitlin Clark was in no mood to discuss Sophie Cunningham’s controversial trans comments
Cunningham posed for photos with activist Riley Gaines after the loss in Minnesota on Sunday
Clark’s comments about ‘focusing on basketball’ come after Cunningham sparked a huge reaction with her comments on trans athletes in an interview with ESPN.
The star guard recently said that young girls ‘shouldn’t have to go against biological men’ when playing sports, and every Fever game since has seen both pro and anti-trans protests inside and outside the arena.
On Sunday, protestors on each side of the debate clashed outside the arena, while Lynx coach Reeve was seen in an animated discussion with Cunningham at the side of the court while she wore a ‘Trans Kids Belong’ shirt.
‘I think it’s great,’ Reeve said of the talk in her postgame media session. ‘I think both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate.
‘There are some things that 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.’
Cunningham (left) and Cheryl Reeve had an animated pre-game discussion on Sunday
Cunningham supporters have been seen in Seattle, Portland and now Minneapolis
Meanwhile, pro-women’s rights activist Riley Gaines was in the crowd for the game and held up a sign thanking Cunningham for speaking out.
Her sign read: ‘SOPHIE, THANK YOU – A GIRL MOM.’
After the game, Cunningham posed for photos with Gaines and XX-XY founder Jennifer Sey in the empty arena.
The WNBA does not have any transgender players who were assigned male at birth, nor have there ever been any such players in the WNBA.
And while a few cases of transgender athletes at the NCAA level have made national news, trans student athletes are rare in the extreme. In 2024, NCAA president Charlie Baker estimated there were fewer than 10 competing at the time.
Rallies organized outside the Target Center arena brought opposing groups face-to-face
In Portland a few days ago, Cunningham attempted to calm the growing division around the Fever’s games by claiming that the protests were not distracting her or her teammates on the court.
‘I think everyone who knows me personally, they know that I’m full of love. I’m bubbly. I love the people around me,’ she said.
‘I love basketball. I love inspiring the next generation and doing that in a positive light. And so that doesn’t even cross my mind. Doesn’t cross my teammates’ minds.’
