Sophie Cunningham lifts the lid on her animated courtside debate with Cheryl Reeve… after coach wore controversial pro-trans shirt in WNBA culture war
Sophie Cunningham has opened up on her courtside discussion with Cheryl Reeve after the Minnesota Lynx head coach donned a pro-trans T-shirt for their game against the Indiana Fever.
The controversial topic of transgender athletes in women’s sports has engulfed the WNBA after Cunningham recently claimed she wants to ‘protect young girls’ from ‘biological men’ in female competitions.
As several high-profile figures in the league distanced themselves from the Fever player’s stance, Reeve made her opinion on the matter known by wearing a T-shirt reading ‘Trans Kids Belong’ when her Minnesota team faced Indiana on Sunday night.
Before the game, the Lynx coach was seen having what appeared to be a tense conversation with Cunningham courtside amid uproar over the latter’s comments on trans athletes.
Yet Cunningham stressed that the chat was full of ‘love and respect’ despite their differing viewpoints.
‘Oh yeah, she just came up and I respect her for coming up in person,’ she told reporters after the game. ‘I think a lot of people hide behind screens and love that type of thing.
Sophie Cunningham (left) has opened up on her courtside discussion with Cheryl Reeve (right)
The Indiana Fever star sparked controversy by calling for biological men to be kept out of women’s sports
‘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.’
Reeve felt the same about their brief encounter, describing it as a ‘great’ discussion.
‘I think it’s great,’ she said on Sunday. ‘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.’
Reeve stopped short of divulging their entire conversation in her post-game comments, but did speak before the game about her stance on the issue of trans athletes in women’s sports.
‘I come from a space of inclusion,’ said the 59-year-old, who also serves as the Team USA coach. ‘The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports.
‘This is what’s bothersome. There is a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue.’
While liberals have condemned her, and most high-profile WNBA figures have refused to back her statement, Cunningham has received support from a number of conservative figures, including political activist Riley Gaines and tennis icon Martina Navratilova.
Outkick founder Clay Travis, whose conservative news site has frequently spoken out against trans athletes in women’s sports over the years, has also weighed in on the controversy in recent days, applauding the Fever player for ‘standing up for actual women’.
Reeve wore a pro-trans T-shirt when her Minnesota team faced Cunningham and Indiana
But both parties insist the pregame chat was amicable despite their difference in opinion
Travis has even challenged WNBA champions the Las Vegas Aces to prove there is no difference between men and women by taking on a high school boys team.
And if they can beat the team of teenagers, he is prepared to pay the Aces a sum of $10million.
‘Important announcement: I am upping my offer, $10 million dollars for a head-to-head basketball game between the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces and a boy’s high school state title team of my choice. If the Aces beat my team, I will give them $10 million,’ Travis posted to X on Monday.
‘If the boys win, I will give them $10 million to distribute as they see fit to their team members. Game on pay-per-view with all profits donated to Tunnel 2 Towers to provide mortgage free homes to families of deceased soldiers, police & first responders.
‘This will be the most money ever paid to win a single basketball game. A modern day battle of the sexes. $10 million to the winning team.’
Travis has also threatened to launch his own all-trans WNBA franchise in a bid to call the league’s bluff and demonstrate the physical differences between men and women.
The WNBA is yet to comment on Cunningham’s remarks, yet the recently signed collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players’ association states that ‘only players who are women are eligible to play’.
