Remember that wild, factually incorrect statement Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr. made? The one where he claimed he took down players like Sophie Cunningham and even his own sisters when he was in eighth grade and they were in college? It was bound to create controversies, and that is exactly what happened on social media. The comment quickly shifted the conversation into yet another men vs women basketball debate.

And in times like these, when NBA vs WNBA debates pop up, it’s easy for people to start questioning whether women athletes deserve “million–dollar” salaries if the so-called narrative claims they couldn’t beat high school boys. But instead of shutting him down, Sophie Cunningham has now stepped forward and backed the essence of MPJ’s point, saying NBA players, even as school-aged kids, are on a different athletic level than WNBA players.

Speaking on her Show Me Something podcast, Cunningham addressed the comments her longtime friend made and admitted there is a clear physical gap.

“I mean, it’s probably true. I think, if you are a professional [athlete], if you’re in that elite level group, yea you should be able to beat the girls! I’m not surprised by that. I don’t get why it’s continuing to get brought up. If women are saying, ‘yea he couldn’t beat us.’ Yes, he could. Any NBA star or player can beat a female in high school. The context of it is fair….Future pros [in 8th grade]? It depends how big they are. If they’re going pro, they’re already pretty big. I would say, that’s probably true. I don’t want to be unrealistic or delusional. Men are stronger, bigger, athletic — a bigger build. If you put them up against females, yea they’re gonna win. Duh.” 

MPJ’s comments arrived at a tense moment for the WNBA, as players are deep in negotiations with the league over the new CBA. The extended deadline of November 30 is coming up fast, and the league has put a new offer on the table.

The proposal includes a revenue-sharing model that, combined with base salary, could push the maximum salary past $1.1 million, with an average salary above $460,000 and a minimum salary over $220,000. But the players’ union still isn’t satisfied. They’ve argued from day one that the current revenue-sharing structure doesn’t guarantee real growth year over year, and they believe the latest proposal still falls short of that key demand.

As Sophie Cunningham acknowledges, indeed, women athletes don’t have the same level of physical strength and explosiveness that male athletes do. Only once in a generation do you find a woman who can realistically go head-to-head with a men’s basketball player.

And a lot of this debate actually started because Patrick Beverley made the bizarre claim that a WNBA team could beat the bench players of an NBA team. That comment forced MPJ to give his take.

There’s a viral clip making the rounds on Twitter right now showing MPJ back in eighth grade, and once you watch it, you quickly understand just how physical and gifted he already was. He was dunking with ease and already stood well over six feet tall.

Dunking and the WNBA are two very different worlds. As of July 2025, out of the 37 recorded dunks in league history, 27 belong to Brittney Griner alone. That alone highlights how wide the physical gap is between men’s and women’s basketball.

But when an NBA player makes comments like this, it unintentionally gives the WNBA an upper hand in the current CBA negotiations. The women aren’t asking for the same $12 million-a-year average salary that NBA players made in the 2024–25 season, as reported by Sports Illustrated. They’re simply pushing for fair growth and a better revenue share. And that NBA average is roughly 26 times higher than the current average salary the league is offering its WNBA players.

They’re asking for a revenue-sharing system that actually reflects the league’s growth instead of a fixed 3% yearly raise that barely moves the needle. The current proposal doesn’t guarantee that the touted $1.1 million max salary will ever be realistically reached. To get what they’re fighting for, WNBA players need NBA stars to speak up on their behalf. Comments like MPJ’s, even if they are true, only end up hurting the women in the long run and weaken their position in these crucial negotiations.

For a league that keeps smashing viewership numbers, attendance numbers, and setting new highs in merchandise sales, this pay gap feels almost impossible to justify. Heading into this negotiation, the WNBA had more momentum than ever, thanks largely to the rise of Caitlin Clark. And now they’re stepping into territory that could seriously slow all of it down.

If this doesn’t get resolved soon, you can expect players like Sophie Cunningham to consider stepping away from the league entirely. A lockout would be almost unavoidable, putting the future of the WNBA in real jeopardy. And with leagues like Unrivaled and Project B spreading their wings, there’s a genuine risk that the W might cease to exist.

But there is still hope that both sides will find common ground before the November 30 deadline. Sophie Cunningham herself looked back fondly on the recently concluded W season and would probably want many more seasons like 2025 in the years ahead(should the league continue to exist, of course).

Sophie Cunningham Reflects on Her Time with Indiana

For Sophie Cunningham, the 2025 season may have ended early due to an MCL tear just weeks before the playoffs, but she made it clear how much she loved her solitary season with the Fever. Speaking in an interview with Sporting News, she looked back on the year with real appreciation, calling the 2025 campaign “one for the books.” She said:

“You know, I was drafted out to Phoenix. I’ve been out there the past six years, and then I got traded over to Indiana, which has been such a blessing. The people there, all the way from the owners to our locker attendants, they’re just awesome, amazing people who want the best for you, and so I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to be around for me…I absolutely love my teammates. I think when we’re all healthy, you know, we could win championships, and that’s the name of the game — staying healthy. But I think this season was so fun. “

The Fever were just one win away from reaching the championship game, and they did it without Sophie Cunningham or Caitlin Clark on the court. Cunningham played 30 games for Indiana this past season, averaging 8.6 points, 1.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. She now enters free agency, and while she’d love to return to Indiana, her future there isn’t guaranteed. The Fever’s top priority this offseason is re-signing Kelsey Mitchell, so whether they can also bring Cunningham back is still up in the air.