Sophie Cunningham Lashes Out at "Dumb" Critics Who Slammed Her for Team USA Courtside Absence

Sophie Cunningham has had enough of the noise. The Indiana Fever guard fired back after fans accused her of skipping Team USA's FIBA World Cup gold medal game out of a lack of support for Caitlin Clark and the rest of the squad.

Cunningham says the criticism missed the point entirely, and she isn't shy about calling out the people who ran with it. Cunningham also weighed in on Clark's limited role during the tournament, saying she believes her teammate should have started ahead of the veterans Kara Lawson favored, while acknowledging her own bias and shifting focus to the Fever's playoff push.

Sophie Cunningham condemns critics who question her courtside absence during FIBA World Cup

When Team USA beat France to claim its fifth straight FIBA World Cup gold, plenty of fans expected to see Sophie Cunningham cheering from the stands. She wasn't there, and when asked why, she simply said she was busy. That answer didn't land well among fans.

Fever fans jumped on the response, reading it as indifference toward Clark, Aliyah Boston, and the rest of the Americans overseas. Cunningham wasn't willing to let that read stand. Speaking on her podcast, "No Hesitation," she made clear the absence had nothing to do with caring less.

"I'm dialed in, but people are just dumb, dumb, dumb," Cunningham said, frustration clear in her voice.

The Fever guard further explained that she tracks Team USA closely no matter the sport, and with her coach and two teammates involved, the World Cup was never off her radar. She just spent her WNBA break handling other things off the court, and fans filled in the blanks with the wrong story. 

Sophie Cunningham gives her honest take on Caitlin Clark's Team USA role

As the tournament is over and WNBA stars back with their clubs, Cunningham has been open about how Team USA used Caitlin Clark during the competition. Head coach Kara Lawson leaned on veteran players over Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers for most of the tournament, and Cunningham thinks her teammate deserved more.

She didn't dodge the bias in her own opinion, either.

"I think C should have been starting, but again, I'm not the coach," Cunningham said.

Team USA still walked away with gold, and Cunningham was quick to credit the group for getting the job done regardless of who started. Her focus, and Clark's, has already shifted back to Indiana, where the Fever have four regular season games left before the 2026 WNBA playoffs get underway.