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Sophie Cunningham heard the boos as soon as she entered Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Tempo. The Indiana Fever guard could have ignored the hostile reception or fired back at the crowd afterward. Instead, Cunningham offered a response that quickly earned praise from Fever fans.
“I want to shout out the Tempo crowd and the city,” Cunningham said after Indiana’s 101-95 victory, according to WNBA reporter Libaan Osman. “It’s my first time being in Canada, but the crowd was absolutely amazing.
“I think that’s what sports is all about. You’re gonna get boos and you’re gonna get cheers. But just the fact that they’re so passionate, they’re loud and they’re putting on for the city, I think it’s amazing.”
Cunningham’s praise stood out because some Toronto fans had booed her over previous comments regarding transgender athletes in women’s sports. The 30-year-old never appeared rattled by the reception, however, and answered the hostility with one of her most important performances of the season.
Sophie Cunningham quiets Toronto crowd with clutch shot
Cunningham finished with 13 points, two rebounds and two assists off the bench. She made all three of her attempts from beyond the arc and went 4-for-5 at the free-throw line.
Sophie Cunningham on getting boos tonight in Toronto:
“The crowd was absolutely amazing. I think that’s what sports is all about. You’re going to get boos and you’re going to get cheers.” pic.twitter.com/m2KwevjtGi
Her biggest basket came with 1:25 remaining.
Toronto had spent the fourth quarter cutting into what had been a 17-point Indiana lead. Cunningham responded by burying a crucial 3-pointer that pushed the Fever’s advantage back to 10 and temporarily halted the Tempo’s comeback attempt. Toronto still managed to get within four points with 47 seconds remaining, but Indiana survived to secure its fifth consecutive victory.
Cunningham scored six points in the fourth quarter and provided exactly what the Fever needed on a difficult night for several of their biggest names. Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston combined to shoot only 2-for-10 from the field. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana’s leading scorer, also left the game with an injury during the third quarter and did not return for the final 10 minutes.
That placed additional pressure on the Fever’s supporting cast. Cunningham embraced it.
“I’m just here,” Cunningham said. “Whatever the team needs of me, I’m gonna do. That’s what it’s all about. Owning that. That’s what it means to be the ultimate team pro.”
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Fever fans praise Cunningham for ‘killing them with kindness’
Cunningham’s comments about the Toronto crowd attracted almost as much attention as her clutch shooting. Fever supporters praised her for refusing to escalate the situation, with one fan writing, “Most WNBA players would be complaining and calling it hate. Sophie kills ’em with kindness.”
Her response was consistent with the edge Cunningham has brought to Indiana. She does not shy away from confrontation, but she also understands the value of a passionate crowd, even when that crowd is rooting against her. Cunningham has given opposing fans plenty of reasons to be nervous this season. She is shooting 45.8 percent from 3-point range, the second-best mark in the WNBA, and has become one of Indiana’s most dependable perimeter threats.
The Fever’s victory moved them into third place in the standings and continued a five-game winning streak. More importantly, it showed Indiana can still find ways to close games when Clark and Boston struggle and Mitchell is unavailable.
Cunningham was booed when she stepped onto the floor. By the time she left it, she had delivered a clutch performance and a postgame response that was difficult to criticize.
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