Sophie Cunningham has spent the 2026 WNBA season so far facing controversies, absorbing hard fouls, and taking hard hits from every direction.
But according to longtime ESPN anchor Linda Cohn, the one person who should be in her corner the most keeps coming up short: Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White.
Linda Cohn Questions Stephanie White for Not Defending Sophie Cunningham
In the latest episode of “The Linda Cohn Show,” she questioned why White won’t publicly stand up for Cunningham when she needs it the most.
Cohn’s criticism comes after another difficult night for Cunningham during the Fever-Sky matchup. The Fever guard took a hard foul from Sky forward DiJonai Carrington that sent her crashing to the floor. Carrington was eventually ejected after officials upgraded her foul to a Flagrant 2.
White, in the postgame press conference, appeared to downplay the hard foul, stating, “I also don’t think that she [Carrington] intentionally went for the neck.”
So for Cohn, the bigger question was not what happened between Cunningham and Carrington. It was how White responded afterward.
“What is the method to her madness? I’m talking about Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White,” Cohn questioned. “I have brought this up multiple times, how she doesn’t go out of her way to defend her players, especially Sophie Cunningham.”
“What is the Method to her Madness! I’m talking about Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White” pic.twitter.com/3eOT6vCQYB
— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) August 10, 2026
“I mentioned it last week when Sophie Cunningham was elbowed in the face and Cunningham was whistled for the foul. I don’t know. No argument by Stephanie White, even though it was so obvious Cunningham was the victim there.”
Cohn then pointed to White’s comments after Saturday’s game, again arguing that the Fever coach appeared more focused on explaining Carrington’s style of play than defending Cunningham.
“I didn’t hear anything about Sophie Cunningham, her own player. All I heard was about, that’s the way DiJonai plays. That’s the way she plays,” Cohn said.
Cohn, meanwhile, wasn’t alone in noticing White not defending Cunningham. WNBA analyst Jason Whitlock said after the game that he’d “never utter a word in Stephanie White’s defense again.”
Likewise, Cunningham supporter Riley Gaines also voiced her disbelief at the Fever coach’s response, adding, “Fever coach Stephanie White defends DiJonai Carrington. You would never see this in the NBA. Or any professional men’s league.”
Cunningham is already under the spotlight following her comments about transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. She is also in a scoring slump, managing no more than three points in each of her last three games.
With the ongoing physical incidents involving the Fever guard adding to the pressure, Cohn believes this is exactly when Cunningham needs the most support from her coach.
