‘MAGA Barbie’ Gets Brutal Welcome at WNBA Game
The Indiana Fever guard’s haters made themselves known at Sunday’s game.
Matt Blewett/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Sophie Cunningham’s MAGA-oriented comments have seemingly followed her onto the court.
Cunningham, the WNBA star who was branded “MAGA Barbie” after sharing her thoughts on transgender athletes, faced deafening roars of boos throughout her matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is wearing a "Trans Kids Belong' T-shirt to protest Sophie Cunningham...
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) August 2, 2026
Sophie is getting HEAVILY BOOED every time she touches the ball. pic.twitter.com/duhkYq8uZI
Loud jeers erupted most times the Indiana Fever guard, 29, touched the ball throughout the team’s 108-100 loss to the Lynx.
Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve also wore a T-shirt that said “Trans Kids Belong” during Sunday’s game, in reference to Cunningham’s prior comments. Fans in the stadium were also seen wearing shirts with similar messaging.
Reeve wore a shirt saying "Trans Kids Belong" at Sunday's game.
Matt Blewett/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Before the game, the two shared a conversation at midcourt, seemingly about Cunningham’s beliefs. Reeve, 59, refrained from detailing exactly what they spoke about.
“Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve said, according to ESPN. “There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. I think it’s how you handle things. It was nice to be in person, for sure.”
Cunningham has faced criticism for her comments on transgender athletes.
Trevor Ruszkowski/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Cunningham first came under scrutiny for saying she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room” and keep “biological men” from playing against young women in sports.
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“I’m very much in the middle. I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides,” she said in an ESPN profile published last month. “And that’s all I’ve ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume.”
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham said. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt came to the Fever guard’s defense during a press briefing last month, saying she agreed with her sentiment and praising her for “standing up for women and girls.”
“We want to protect women and girls, and the backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing thinkers across the country is astonishing,” Leavitt, 28, said.
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