Sophie Cunningham rejects call for Indiana Fever to release her

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham responded to a New York Times column that urged her team to part ways with her, saying she no longer lets outside opinions dictate how she lives. Fox News reported that Cunningham addressed the criticism on Friday during an episode of her podcast, No Hesitation with Sophie Cunningham and Drew Hanlen, telling critics to suck it. [1][3]

The dispute follows criticism from former Fever teammate Sydney Colson, who spoke out on her own podcast against remarks Cunningham made to ESPN regarding transgender athletes in women sports, according to CBS Sports. Colson played 30 games for the Fever in 2025. [2]

Cunningham is a professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA. She played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers before being selected by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2019 WNBA draft, where she spent six seasons before joining the Fever in February 2025. [7][9]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Cunningham previously generated discussion after accusing the WNBA of applying a double standard following an incident between Las Vegas Aces player A'ja Wilson and a fan during the playoffs. [11]