Sophie Cunningham revealed that she was at a NASCAR event while her Indiana Fever teammates were out winning gold for Team USA at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup final, drawing significant backlash. Now, as the social media response to her initial revelation has grown, the guard has clarified her stance on her commitment to her teammates and her country.
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Sophie Cunningham, speaking to co-host Drew Hanlen on her No Hesitation podcast, was asked how she was relentlessly asked about what she was doing on the day of the final, and despite answering, she was still asked if she was watching the game.
“I definitely saw the stats,” she said on the podcast, later clipped to X.
“I knew they won gold. Some guy was like, ‘So did you watch the game?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ And they’re like, ‘Well, they won gold.’ And I’m like, ‘Duh, they won gold.’ Like, you don’t think that I’m not invested in, first of all, USA, on any sport, I’m going to be tracking. And then like, if my coach is there and my two teammates, I’m dialed in, but people are just dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.”
She’s responding to comments that came following her appearance at the NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 on September 13, the day of the FIBA final, where she rubbed shoulders with legends like Michael Jordan and Jeff Gordon, and even spent some time in World Wide Technology’s Raceway fan zone serving as a USA Network studio analyst.
Later, when she was interviewed the following day during the team’s practice, Sophie Cunningham was asked if she had watched Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston for Team USA against France, to which she simply responded that she was busy.
“Good! Congrats,” she said when told that the pair had “got it done” by a reporter.
The NASCAR event she was covering was at the same time as the World Cup final, and she did make it clear on the broadcast that it was one of her biggest dreams come true.
“We’re here in Illinois with NASCAR,” she said. “It’s been the best day of my entire life. I feel these are my people. I belong here. I’m wearing all-black; I got my leather on, boots on. I’m pulling out my Talladega nights, baby.”
While Sophie Cunningham was at NASCAR, Team USA was completing a dominant chapter of its international history. After beating France 97-79, they secured a fifth consecutive and 12th total gold medal at the event, going undefeated in the tournament to extend their winning streak to 36 in the World Cup.
Clark was one of the most important parts of the second unit for Team USA, logging 7.8 and a team-leading 5.3 assists per game, though her efficiency left a lot to be desired over the tournament, as she finished with just 35.9% from the field and 28% from three.
Boston made most of her contributions on the defensive end, averaging 6.2 points with 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks. However, the two players weren’t the only representation for the Fever.
Indiana head coach Stephanie White was one of the assistant coaches for head coach Kara Lawson, alongside Nate Tibbetts, and was proud of Clark’s performance in the tournament.
“It was really great,” she told reporters during a Fever practice on September 16.
“You could tell the way she was able to change the game with her pace…I thought her floor game was outstanding. I mean, the way that she got everybody involved was outstanding. And you could see her confidence continue to grow as the tournament progressed. And that shot that she hit right before halftime against France was a momentum-changing shot. She stepped up, and she knocked it down.”
Regardless of how Team USA performed at the international stage, Sophie Cunningham seems to have made her position clear. She might not have seen every second of the final, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t paying attention. Cunningham and the team will now look to win the remaining three games in the regular-season fixtures and make a deep post-season run, hoping for a championship.