Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve sounds off on viral pregame chat with Sophie Cunningham

Sophie Cunningham did not spew hatred when she expressed the desire to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports, but that narrative has nonetheless taken shape. The Indiana Fever guard has her ardent supporters and fierce critics following her much-discussed comments, and others within the WNBA have opted to share their own opinions. Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve had done so already, and on Sunday, she made a big statement for all to see.

The four-time WNBA champion wore a shirt that displayed the words, “Trans Kids Belong” during Minnesota’s 108-100 home win versus the Indiana Fever. While plenty of fans are applauding Reeve for standing by her beliefs, one can also scrutinize the timing of her attire choice. She chose to do this when her squad was facing Cunningham and Indy. Whether she knows or not, the four-time WNBA Coach of the Year could have directly pitted herself against the former Missouri Tigers star.

The two women spoke before the game in what appeared to be a respectful exchange, which ended in smiles, and Reeve touched on the interaction after the Lynx survived a late Fever flurry.

“I think it’s great, I think both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about more than anything wanting to educate and there’s some things we have in common and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues,” she said, per Andrew Dukowitz of Timberwolves On SI and Zone Coverage. “I think it’s how you handle things and so it was nice to be in person for sure.”

Cheryl Reeve on her conversation with Sophie Cunningham pre-game, and the importance of having conversations with people who have different views

“I think it’s great, I think both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about more than anything wanting to… pic.twitter.com/f2eyKeMDrR

— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) August 2, 2026

Rallies will continue and common ground may never be reached, but it sounds like Cheryl Reeve and Sophie Cunningham have avoided a personal conflict. If the latter took the former’s shirt as a direct shot at her, she did not indicate as much. Perhaps these postgame remarks will ensure that things remain cordial between the two of them moving forward.

They will draw more attention from the media, and so will their teams. Minnesota (25-6) did enough to outlast Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and the offensively-potent Fever (19-11), further cementing themselves as the most complete team in the W to this point of the campaign. These two franchises will collide again in a pair of matchups at the end of the regular season, and then a potential playoff clash could await.

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