WNBA star Sophie Cunningham sent shockwaves in the ongoing culture war over the WNBA and trans athletes in women’s sports on Tuesday after revealing her stance on the issue to ESPN.

Cunningham’s recent statements sparked debate on social media after she revealed she is in support of protecting women’s sports.

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,'” Cunningham said.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

“I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

Many prominent figures praised Cunningham for speaking out.

GOP politicians, including Ted Cruz and Eric Schmitt, even chimed in.

Cunningham’s statement also garnered praise from athletes and activists involved in the “save women’s sports” movement including Riley Gaines, Jennifer Sey and Martina Navratilova, as well as other conservative influencers.

However, Cunningham’s statements also prompted some backlash from those who believe biological male trans athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

Some users compared Cunningham’s take to that of Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who recently told reporters that she opposes bans on trans athletes in women’s sports.

Cunningham previously garnered backlash from the left in March 2022 after re-sharing a tweet from CBS Sports host Josh Pate about the controversy surrounding former Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competing on the women’s team.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham plays in the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on June 27, 2026. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)

“Female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this,” Pate’s tweet said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Cunningham faced so much backlash over the re-share that she released a statement.

“To my teammates, friends, family, supporters and fans, you know that I stand with all people, especially my fellow athletes. I do not judge, but support all races, religions, sexual preferences and gender equity. We all have a place in this world to compete and I hope we are able to grant everyone that opportunity fairly.” she wrote.

Cunningham has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the WNBA over the last year, especially among conservatives.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Riley Gaines, who tied with Thomas at the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championships, told Fox News Digital on the last day of June, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold state laws that keep biological males out of women’s sports, that she hoped the ruling would be a “clarion call” for athletes like Cunningham to speak out in support of protecting women’s sports.

“Let this be a clarion call, not just to Simone, but to every, I think especially elite female athlete, professional female athlete, the likes of Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, Serena Williams, to link arms,” Gaines said.