Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner share ‘intimate moment’ amid WNBA politics

Sophie Cunningham divided opinion by advocating to exclude transgender women from female sports, citing a desire to protect women's spaces.

Conversely, Brittney Griner came out publicly early in her career and has long served as an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion, anti-bullying, and queer visibility.

Not that Griner has any affiliation or previous comments on transgender women, but many fans presumed that their viewpoints could put them on opposite sides of a WNBA culture war.

Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner moment during Indiana Fever vs Connecticut Sun

The outspoken Riley Gaines was in attendance for the WNBA clash between the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever prior to the international break.

One thing that she noticed sitting courtside was the embrace between Brittney Griner and Sophie Cunningham , which she states may come as a surprise given the current politics in the WNBA.

Speaking on her YouTube channel, she said: "I think most people would have thought that Sophie and Brittney Griner wouldn't like each other. Kind of cool because I watched Brittney Griner and Sophie Cunningham like really embrace each other and have kind of like an intimate moment where clearly words were exchanged."

Her boyfriend added: "All the differences in viewpoints or whatever else, it gets put aside and it it was the it was the true essence of what sport is."

Brittney Griner and Sophie Cunningham actually shared a close bond as Phoenix Mercury teammates for six seasons (2019–2024). And Cunningham frequently expressed vocal support for Griner, publicly celebrating her return from Russian detention.