Sophie Cunningham says she’s not concerned about being a distraction for the Fever

Sophie Cunningham says she’s not concerned about being a distraction for the Fever 1 of 5 | Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, front, runs by a fan holding a sign referencing her comments on transgender athletes and women’s sports during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 2 of 5 | A man dressed in a frog costume holds a sign supporting trans people during a rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) 3 of 5 | A counter protestor, left, raises her arms next to people rallying to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) 4 of 5 | People rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) 5 of 5 | People rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) 1 of 5 | Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, front, runs by a fan holding a sign referencing her comments on transgender athletes and women’s sports during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 1 of 5 Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, front, runs by a fan holding a sign referencing her comments on transgender athletes and women’s sports during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 5 | A man dressed in a frog costume holds a sign supporting trans people during a rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) 2 of 5 A man dressed in a frog costume holds a sign supporting trans people during a rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 5 | A counter protestor, left, raises her arms next to people rallying to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) 3 of 5 A counter protestor, left, raises her arms next to people rallying to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 5 | People rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) 4 of 5 People rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 5 | People rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) 5 of 5 People rally to support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports before a WNBA basketball game between the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever in Portland, Ore., Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Portland, Ore. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham says she’s unconcerned that the rallies against transgender participation in women’s sports that have accompanied the Indiana’s Fever’s recent games are a distraction for the WNBA team. Cunningham made the comments before the Fever’s game Friday night against the Portland-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="114636" data-entity-type="organization">Portland Fire. Outside, a group rallied for the second straight game in support of Cunningham and her recent comments about transgender athletes. “I think at the end of the day, I come in and I do my job,” Cunningham said. “I think everyone who knows me personally, they know that I’m full of love. I’m bubbly. I love the people around me. I love basketball. I love inspiring the next generation and doing that in a positive light. And so that doesn’t even cross my mind. Doesn’t cross my teammates’ minds. “And again, I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me, and I’m not gonna like shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.” Portland’s rally came after a similar rally for Cunningham earlier in the week before the Fever’s game at the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm. Both rallies only attracted about two dozen participants and a bevy of onlookers. “I have honestly had nothing to do with them,” Cunningham said. “I think it’s people just practicing their rights of freedom of speech and doing what other fans have been doing since the WNBA has started. And so props to them, props to everyone who is able to be competent and be bold and courageous enough to to speak their truths.” 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ Another rally was planned for Sunday in Minneapolis when the Fever play the Minnesota Lynx. In Seattle on Monday, two Cunningham supporters sat courtside at Climate Change Arena holding signs. A co-owner of the Storm, Celeste Keaton was later fined an undisclosed amount and suspended for five games by the WNBA for an exchange with the two supporters. The Storm also apologized for the incident, but did not provide details about the exchange. “We remain committed to creating a welcoming and respectful environment for anyone who attends a Storm game,” the Storm said.The Seattle rally promoted statewide ballot initiative, IL26-638, that would bar transgender students from participating in girls’ athletics at Washington schools. It also praised Cunningham, who voiced support for barring transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports in recent interviews. “I am here to be a cheerleader for Sophie Cunningham, who has so bravely put her head above the parapet to protect women and girls in our sports and in our locker rooms,” said Amy Souza, who was among those at the rally. “I was an organizer of this event, I was a co-organizer of the Seattle event. I’m also here, standing in solidarity with those teen girls who, unfortunately, were harassed when they were just trying to be fans of the sport, fans of Sophie Cunningham.”Cunningham was booed by the Moda Center crowd in Portland when she entered the game midway though the first quarter. Many waved small pink, blue and white transgender flags. The Fever entered the game on a four-game winning streak and had won eight of their last 10. Coach Stephanie White said she was concerned that the controversy was distracting from the team’s play. “You know there is a frustration, of course, because we want to we want to talk about basketball and we want to continue to work on our game and we want to continue to grow as a team.,” White said. “But I also understand this is part of our growth edge as a league, right? It’s part of our growth as a league, and we have to to be able to manage, we have to be able to insulate as much as we can, and then we have to be able to lead with conversation.” Peterson, based in Portland, Oregon, has been with The Associated Press for more than 30 years. She has covered five Olympic Games and five total World Cups. In addition to covering international soccer, she covers the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon and Oregon State.