Sophie Cunningham is a main topic of conversation in the WNBA and overall sports world this week. This comes after comments made in a wide-ranging interview published by ESPN.
Cunningham shared a brief comment on her views on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.
Stephen A. Smith Applauds Sophie Cunningham
“I think that I am here to extend love,” she said. “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.”
These comments have made the rounds on social media and have been deemed controversial. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith had a different reaction.
Smith appeared on his SiriusXM show Thursday afternoon and defended Cunningham for what she had to say.
Sophie Cunningham Said What Others Are AFRAID to Say!
My Full Take in the Comments. pic.twitter.com/dsiXtxNwyE
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 23, 2026
“I can’t applaud her enough,” Smith said about Cunningham. “This notion that you’re hating on the trans community because you are not a proponent of them participating in female sports is utterly ridiculous. Sophie Cunningham said every word right on the money. There’s not hate involved. There’s only love we’re talking about.”
This is a very nuanced topic that is being brought up frequently, even though the percentage of athletes who are transgender is an incredibly low number.
“But what happened to loving girls who are born biologically as girls?” Smith went on to say. “What about their rights? What about fairness associated to them? Lia Thomas, I’m going to keep bringing that name up. 400-plus in the world competing as a male. Transitions to female and he was No. 1. If we’re gonna act like transitioning from male to female doesn’t involve an advantage for that trans athlete, I have nothing to say to you, you’re not exercising common sense.”
Cunningham’s comments revolve around her view that biological women should not have to play against transgender women who were born as biological men. This is the notion Smith agreed with on his show.
These comments were a very small part of her entire ESPN interview but are becoming the most talked about. That is because the transgender athlete debate has become a political talking point as well.
However, she did go on to double down on her comments, saying: “I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense. … I think it’s really important to protect children.”
She added: “I extend love. I don’t dislike anyone. I think there’s room for absolutely everyone here. There’s room to love everyone. … I’m there to love, and I’m also there to love biological women and their rights that need to be protected. Like I said, I’m gonna stand true to that. I’ll never falter in my beliefs in that, but I have never once said that I hated the trans community.”
Smith invoked the name of Lia Thomas, who has become a central figure in the transgender athlete debate. Thomas began their college career on the men’s swim team at the University of Pennsylvania, before beginning a gender transition and eventually swimming on the women’s team.
Thomas’ accomplishments on the women’s team have been argued and brought up in both sports and political conversations.
Cunningham made these comments in the ESPN after noting she has been called “MAGA Barbie” by her detractors. Smith’s support is fascinating as he is a top figure at ESPN. But it’s fair to note these comments were made on SiriusXM.
Cunningham’s comments come at a fascinating time for the WNBA, when the discussion surrounding the league seems to be about anything other than actual basketball. Her star teammate Caitlin Clark is routinely talked about relating to topics surrounding race and privilege, and not her play on the floor.
The trans athlete debate is not going away anytime soon, and it’s interesting to see such big names chime in on the matter. Cunningham and Smith surely won’t be the last.
