Sophie Cunningham isn’t here for the drama but to play basketball. The Indiana Fever guard is pushing back hard against explosive claims made in a lawsuit filed earlier this month, denying any romantic involvement with Phoenix Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein.
Sophie Cunningham and Josh Bartelstein (Photo Via Imagn Images)
Court documents by ex-Suns and Mercury employee Gene Traylor mention Cunningham’s name. He linked her to an alleged affair with Bartelstein. This incident occurred during Cunningham’s time with the Phoenix Mercury. But Cunningham isn’t just brushing it off. She denied the accusations and said she had never even heard of the man behind them.
Cunningham Responds To Allegations
Sophie Cunningham (Grace Smith/IndyStar-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The allegations surfaced through Traylor’s legal filing. It also named Cornelius Craig, the VP of security and risk management, the rumor’s source. According to Traylor, Craig informed him of the supposed relationship, but Cunningham says the whole thing came out of nowhere.
On Wednesday, she issued a statement that made her position crystal clear.
“I am deeply saddened by the allegations and have no idea who Gene Traylor even is,” Cunningham said. “I am here to compete, play basketball at the highest level and win for my team and my fans, while inspiring other women that they can do or be anything they ever dream of becoming.”
Sophie’s Instagram story (Photo Via Instagram/@sophie_cham)
She didn’t hold back her frustration with how the media handled the story, either. Cunningham called out several outlets for publishing reports without giving her a chance to respond.
“To the media who reported on this, I have always spoken the truth and been transparent with any press inquiry,” she added. “In this instance it feels irresponsible that I was never asked for a comment about the accusation before several clickbait stories went to print.”
TMZ Sports noted that they reached out to her camp on Tuesday but didn’t receive a response before running their coverage.
Despite the noise, Cunningham made it clear she’s staying locked in on what matters to her most: basketball. “I will not let untrue gossip take my focus away from what is most important to me which is basketball, my supportive team and my fans.”
The Phoenix Suns and Mercury organizations also weighed in, calling the lawsuit’s claims “delusional and categorically false.” For now, Cunningham is letting her words, and her game speak for herself.
\
News
She Quietly Fed a Hungry Boy, Asking Nothing — Then a Military Convoy Pulled Up
Olivia Evans knew the texture of the ceramic plate by heart, feeling its cool, familiar glaze against her fingertips as…
A Member of the Tapas 7 Finally Breaks Their Silence — And Their Stunning Revelation Could Change Everything We Thought We Knew About the Madeleine McCann Case
Seventeen years after the world first heard the name Madeleine McCann, a new revelation has shaken the foundations of one…
The Messed Up Exorcism of Anneliese Michel: The Girl Who Survived 67 Exorcisms But Not What Came After
In the quiet town of Klingenberg, Germany, a young woman’s life unfolded in a way that would echo far beyond…
They protected the woman who nearly killed my daughter—and blamed the child she hit. “Just go away,” my mother hissed. But the moment my husband stepped outside and saw our little girl on the ground, he did something none of them expected.
I’ve always believed that family was everything. Or at least, that’s what I told myself growing up in a house…
Girl Disappeared in 1990 — 22 Years Later, Her Father Notices Something Strange in Her Old Yearbook
In 1990, a black teenage girl vanished on what should have been an ordinary spring afternoon, leaving a family consumed…
“THEY COME BACK EVERY NIGHT. I CAN’T CLOSE MY EYES.”
“They Come Back Every Night. I Can’t Close My Eyes.” The Fire Chief Who Walked Into Hell — And Came…
End of content
No more pages to load
