About a week ago, Caitlyn Jenner jumped in on the Sophie Cunningham controversy that has polarized the WNBA and beyond. In an interview with Fox News, the American media personality, who announced she was transgender in 2015, supported Cunningham’s stance that women’s sports should be exclusively for women.
On Thursday, Jenner reiterated her stance amid continued backlash against Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
Caitlyn Jenner Joins Sophie Cunningham in Calling for Women’s Sports to Remain Female-Only
About a week ago, the 1976 men’s Olympic decathlon champ told Fox News that the transgender athlete issue hounding the WNBA and the sports world is quite “simple.” According to her, “XX, you’re in and XY, you’re out.”
Jenner’s position echoed what Cunningham told ESPN last month. The former Phoenix Mercury guard emphasized that she was apolitical but insisted that women need to be protected from playing against “biological men.”
Cunningham refuses to shut up and play basketball, as her critics have been asking her to. The Fever star insists she wants to play while remaining unwavering in her belief.
Surprisingly, the former Olympic star, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, remains a staunch supporter. Amid massive backlash against the eight-year WNBA veteran, Jenner remains firmly on her side.
“I love Sophie Cunningham. It is wrong for biological men to be in women’s sports. She knows that, I know that. She’s on the right side of this issue,” Jenner said.
“But anytime you get involved with something that’s kind of controversial, you’re gonna get criticized. Today with social media, and all the things that are out there, you have to be strong. You have to kind of — if you know you’re on the right side — you have to kind of self-sacrifice yourself.”
🚨 EPIC! Sophie Cunningham just DROPPED this line on leftists telling her “stick to basketball, stop talking about transgender”
CUNNINGHAM:
“People are like, you have a platform, use it! Then once you use it, it’s like, go back to basketball. I THINK I COULD DO BOTH.”
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ysCWuQwPWM
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 20, 2026
Cunningham has remained unfazed despite the strong pushback.
On Tuesday against the Toronto Tempo, she was booed whenever she touched the ball or appeared on the big screen at Scotiabank Arena. After the game, Cunningham had nothing but love for the crowd, arguing that boos and cheers are all part of the game.
The exclusivity Cunningham has been calling for has also met resistance from within WNBA circles. Fever coach Stephanie White contended that “exclusion is not the answer” to the polarizing issue. Other coaches such as Cheryl Reeve and Natalie Nakase have also been advocating for inclusivity amid the heated discussion.
With Jenner now reaffirming her support and Cunningham continuing to stand by her position, the debate shows no sign of fading. For Cunningham, the controversy has become part of her WNBA story, while the growing divide around women’s sports ensures that her stance will remain under an intense spotlight.
