Fans can’t wish Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham a happy birthday on Reddit.
Literally.
The 30-year-old’s name has been banned on the WNBA subreddit, where the league’s forum won’t allow users to use the words “Cunningham,” “Sophie,” “sc,” “scunningham,” “soph,” or “sophiacunningham.”
One user shared his private conversation with the WNBA, the moderator of the Reddit forum, where @Adventurous_Hope_101 was threatened to be banned if they continued to ask questions surrounding Cunningham.
The WNBA account told the user the following: “We filter content based on Sophi because it tend to bring out trolls and people that aren’t fans of the W.
“We have chosen to filter content. If you want to post freely about Sophie you can go to different sub.
“You aren’t even a contributor to this sub, so I suggest you go back to the other WNBA subs. This is our decision. If you keep messaging about this you will be banned.”
Cunningham is a central figure of transgender controversy surrounding the WNBA. At the end of July, the guard told ESPN that women in sports shouldn’t have to go against biological men.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham told the outlet.
“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.”
Cunningham’s comments sparked a debate amongst fans on whether transgender athletes should be allowed to participate in women’s sports. The controversy prompted former NBA players Enes Kanter and Royce White to go full troll mode. Kanter went so far as to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, claiming that he is eligible to join the league.
Per Article XIII, Section 1(a) of the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”
Kanter then posted videos to social media of his “transition” to becoming a woman.
The WNBA has met to discuss the topic as well as player safety and online discourse. By the end of the meeting, the task force couldn’t explicitly define a “woman” in order to adopt improved eligibility rules.
Now, it appears Cunningham’s involvement in the polarizing story has given the WNBA Reddit moderator a reason to ban her name from the forum.
