Indiana Fever guard Cunningham declines to comment on Kanter's WNBA draft stunt
Sophie Cunningham said she will focus on the Fever’s playoff push and will not engage with Enes Kanter Freedom’s campaign to enter the WNBA draft, while maintaining her prior stance on transgender participation in women’s sports.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham told ESPN she will let the controversy surrounding Enes Kanter Freedom’s attempt to enter the WNBA draft play out without her involvement, emphasizing that her priority is the team’s final stretch of the regular season.
"I’m just focused on the Fever and on our sport. I think we have four more games left. I’m trying to really dial in and keep the main thing the main thing," Cunningham said in an interview published Friday.
Kanter Freedom, a former NBA player who has been vocal about the league’s transgender eligibility rules, attended the Fever’s Aug. 23 game in Chicago wearing a shirt that defined a woman as an “adult human female” and was ejected after an exchange with guard Natasha Cloud. He later texted Cunningham, calling her a friend, but she has not confirmed the exchange or joined his broader campaign.
Cunningham previously expressed support for restricting transgender girls and women from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, while rejecting accusations that she harbors animus toward transgender people. She said in July, "I think that I am here to extend love, but I also think with that love is truth."
The Fever, currently 26-14 and fifth in the league, are fighting for home-court advantage with four games remaining. Cunningham, who averages 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists, said that diverting her focus to off-court debates would detract from the team’s playoff aspirations.
For now, Cunningham has chosen not to elaborate further, leaving the campaign to Kanter Freedom and focusing on the upcoming games.