Sophie Cunningham had a quiet night on the court, and it was capped off by a viral moment on Friday night.
During the Indiana Fever’s matchup against the Dallas Wings, Cunningham missed a wide-open layup, the kind of shot that goes in more often than not. That clip quickly made its way around social media, and the botched play became a moment fans latched onto.
What followed was a wave of online mockery, with a portion of the reaction also pulling in her past public comments about transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Sophie Cunningham’s Failed Layup Attempt Causes Online Trolling
During the Fever’s game against the Wings, Cunningham missed a layup attempt, and the moment was clipped and circulated on social media, where it drew a wave of jokes and criticism directed at the Fever guard.
It came during an otherwise quiet night for Cunningham, who finished the game with 5 points, 1 rebound, and no assists in 20 minutes.
Sophie Cunningham wow 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/v3r4Ybd8Wj
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) August 15, 2026
She has been a frequent subject of attention this season, both for her on-court role with Indiana and for public comments she has made opposing the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
One of those reactions to her missed layup referenced those comments directly, using the moment as an opportunity to revisit that ongoing storyline rather than comment strictly on her play.
The user mocked the Fever guard, saying, “Must’ve been a trans ghost that spooked her.”
Must’ve been a trans ghost that spooked her. https://t.co/1fCmfRDTCG
— peggy (@zer0maxey) August 15, 2026
Another user drew a comparison between how other players’ missed shots have been received and said, “We weren’t allowed to make fun of smoking layups when Angel Reese was the [expletive] of the joke.”
One user reacted to a moment captured in the background of the clip: “the fan in the back sitting down right when that bounces out I’m [expletive] crying.”
Another user referenced her past media appearances in which she discussed her views outside of basketball and wrote, “Please just send her to Fox News already.”
please just send her to fox news already https://t.co/gpdNUzy8sb
— Chris (@Chris_ApTx) August 15, 2026
Cunningham’s quiet night ultimately had no bearing on the outcome, as the Fever pulled away for a 98-87 win, powered by a 29-point, 10-assist performance from Caitlin Clark.
But the missed layup outlasted the box score, becoming the moment fans chose to remember from the game.
It’s a pattern that has followed Cunningham for much of this season: on-court moments, good or bad, consistently pulled into a wider conversation shaped as much by her public comments off the court as by anything that happens on it.
