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Bold, beautiful and with a bullish resolve – Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has stormed onto the women’s sports scene, commanding attention with her success on the court and unmistakable personality off it.
“Men are attracted to her, and women want to be her,” former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines said in Fox Nation’s, “Who Is Sophie Cunningham?”
Cunningham’s appeal spans generations, with Gaines recalling the scores of young girls who lined up for a chance to meet the basketball star and get her autograph.
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM ADDRESSES PERCEPTION THAT SHE IS THE ‘SEX SYMBOL’ OF THE WNBA
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham plays against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 17, 2026. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
From her humble beginnings as a Missouri farm girl to her rise in professional basketball and emergence as a voice in the “protect women’s sports” movement, Cunningham’s journey takes center stage in the new Fox Nation special.
But the athlete fans see battling on the hardwood is only part of the story.
“She’s kind of like 100% tomboy and 100% feminine,” Gaines said of Cunningham’s nature. “Sophie is fun and kind and fierce and sassy and tough and cool because all those things make you cool.”
Gaines is joined in the special by others, including activist and former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, who shed light on the personality, convictions and loyalty that have helped Cunningham build a following beyond basketball.
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM ADDRESSES THE FALLOUT OVER HER STANCE ON TRANS ATHLETES NOT BELONGING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham signs an autograph for a young fan. (Fox Nation)
In one instance, Kanter Freedom recalled hearing directly from Cunningham after he was ejected from an Aug. 23 WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever.
“After the game, Sophie messaged me and said, ‘So what happened?'” he said.
Kanter Freedom said he explained the encounter to Cunningham but declined to reveal her response, teasing that the private exchange would “go viral” if made public.
He had attended the game wearing a shirt defining a woman as an “adult human female.”
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM SENDS MESSAGE TO HER HATERS AFTER SAYING MEN DON’T BELONG IN WOMEN’S SPORTS
Former basketball star Enes Kanter Freedom displays his shirt that defines a “woman” as an “adult human female” during a WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever. (Fox Nation)
“I was literally there just to support [Sophie],” he said.
Cunningham herself has attracted attention for speaking publicly about the debate surrounding transgender participation in women’s sports.
She told ESPN earlier this year, “I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’
“I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think, with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room or young girls in sports who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Since her comments surfaced, the star athlete amassed support from the likes of politicians, former athletes and other girls fighting for the same cause.
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