Sophie Cunningham Embraces Boos From Canada WNBA Fans

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham isn't worried about getting booed by Toronto Tempo fans.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts after being fouled by Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Indiana Fever star guard Sophie Cunningham wasn't concerned about the boos she received from Toronto Tempo fans, which she made clear when speaking to the media after Indiana beat Toronto on Tuesday night.

"I want to shout out the Tempo crowd, and the city. I think we had so much fun; it's my first time being in Canada, it's a lot of our first times being in Canada. But the crowd was absolutely amazing," Cunningham said when asked about getting booed by Tempo fans.

"I think that's what sports is all about. You're gonna get boos, 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. So shout out to you guys for coming out and supporting," Cunningham added.

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

— Libaan Osman (@libaanstar1) August 19, 2026

Sophie Cunningham Deserves Credit For How She Handled Being Booed

Cunningham is arguably the most polarizing player in the WNBA, largely because of her willingness to weigh in on controversial topics, with the most recent being the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports.

Tuesday's night's game was far from the first time Cunningham was booed by opposing teams. In fact, she has been booed by several fan bases in August alone. And she will surely hear more booes as the 2026 season and the rest of her career progresses.

But Cunningham deserves a ton of credit for how she's handling this. It would be tough to blame her for lashing out or expressing a negative opinion about this reception, if only because nobody wants to be the subject of so much criticism.

Instead, Cunningham decided to flip the script and show love to these "passionate" fans, even though that passion was used against her. That's much easier said than done, even though it isn't anything new for Cunningham.

Not to mention that Cunningham appears to be redirecting this energy into her performances. While she only took four shots against the Tempo, three of these were made three-pointers, and she ended up with 13 points on the game, along with two rebounds and two assists.

It will be interesting to hear how Cunningham is received by Tempo fans the next time Indiana plays there, which is on September 18. It wouldn't be surprising to hear her get booed again, but perhaps these comments will warm the opposing crowd up to her some.

Regardless, it won't impact Cunningham on the court.