Unless you’ve been completely unplugged this past year, you’ve inevitably heard of the WNBA’s Sophie Cunningham – a standout star in the women’s professional basketball league best known for her aggressive play on the court and her boldness and courage off it.
The former University of Missouri All-American, Cunningham has been in the WNBA since 2019. Drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, the 29-year-old was traded to the Indiana Fever last year. Playing alongside star Caitlin Clark, Sophie helped lead her new team to win the 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.
In recent weeks, Cunningham has been under fire for saying what most people believe: men should not be permitted to compete in women’s sports. The Indiana Fever star never intended to make the issue a personal crusade. She was simply asked about the issue and openly and honestly answered the question.
Contrast her courage and candidness with that of her head coach, Stephanie White. Pressed by reporters this past week about whether men who identify as women should be allowed to play in the WNBA, White dodged, weaved, and suggested the question was above her pay grade.
“I don’t know that I would say I’m educated enough from a scientific standpoint,” the coach told the press. “I don’t ever believe that exclusion is the answer. I just don’t. I do think that when we think about various levels of sport, various governing bodies of sport, and things that go into that, like I said, I’m not educated enough at the different levels. I know growing up I played with the boys all the time.”
Speaking with ESPN’s Hallie Grossman, Cunningham, who was recently baptized and rededicated her life to Christ, acknowledged she’s received a lot of grief for sharing her thoughts on the issue.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” the star player has said. “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 sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
As the controversy escalated, reporters asked Cunningham if she was interested in retracting anything she had previously shared on the subject.
“I said what I said,” she told the assembled reporters. “I think it’s kind of common sense. I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children. I stand on what I said, and I always believe that.”
Good for Sophie, a woman of faith who has guts and isn’t afraid to express convictions rooted in God’s creation of the two sexes—male and female.
“I extend love, and I don’t dislike anyone,” she recently said. “I think there’s room to love everyone … But I’m also there to love biological women, and I think that there are rights that need to be protected. I’m gonna stand true to that. I’ll never fall through in my beliefs in that.”
Please join me in praying for Sophie Cunningham’s bold witness and also for all those mired in sexual confusion.
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