“Cracked me right in the nose”: Sophie Cunningham candidly recalls horrifying airport moment with Brittney Griner that gave her a black eye

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham once took a Louis Vuitton bag to the face at an airport, and she has now told the story. She shared it on the This Past Weekend podcast with Theo Von. The bag belonged to Brittney Griner, her former Phoenix Mercury teammate, and Cunningham woke up with a black eye the next day.The same interview also covered a far more serious topic: how her rising profile has brought unwanted attention. Cunningham said the FBI is watching around 20 people over concerns they may be stalking her.How did Cunningham end up with a black eye at the airport?Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner were with the Mercury when a crowd swarmed the group in an airport. The team had no security, so the players formed a circle around the 6-foot-9 star. Griner was among the most talked-about athletes in sports at the time, after nearly 10 months in Russian custody before her release in December 2022.A man who appeared to be acting as security was carrying Griner’s Louis Vuitton bags. Cunningham was at the back of the group. She said he rushed in to clear the crowd and flung the bags aside, and one swung back into her nose. “I just get cracked by like a $5,000 bag,” she said.Cunningham laughs about it now. The league had far less travel support back then, and players often moved through airports and flew alongside regular passengers. She also used the moment to defend Griner, saying the Mercury veteran gets an unfair reputation and is easygoing and down to earth.Why does Cunningham say fame has a downside?Cunningham’s profile has grown a lot over the past year and a half, and she said not all of the attention is welcome. Stalkers are part of it. “I have, I think, 20 people that the FBI are watching for me alone,” she said. She called it a side of fame people rarely think about.She also credited the 2024 draft class for lifting the league. Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese arrived with a built-in college audience, Cunningham said, and the WNBA has grown fast since. Drafted 13th out of Missouri in 2019, she added that the league is now more diverse and is inspiring young girls to chase basketball careers.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.