Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner’s reunion at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut was supposed to be a heartwarming moment. After all, it was a testament to the sportsmanship and respect the two former teammates share. But as reality set in, this reunion led to an uncomfortable situation for Cunningham on social media, that she could have hardly imagined. 

The moment occurred before the game, during training drills. Having been former teammates, Griner and Cunningham shared a warm hug near the sidelines that offered glimpses of the time when they wore the Phoenix Mercury jersey together.

An X handle with username @justmew7777 shared a glimpse of this moment with a fitting caption. “Sophie catching up with her old pal, BG. Always nice to see!!” it read.

Being one of her early teammates in the WNBA, Sophie Cunningham has always maintained a cordial relationship with Brittney Griner. For instance, both of them also shared a pre-game hug last season when Cunningham was in her first season with the Indiana Fever, while Griner was suiting up for the Atlanta Dream.

During an interview with Ball is Life’s Aya Abdeen last season, Cunningham also echoed a sentiment of respect and generosity when asked about her teammates, like Griner and Diana Taurasi.

“They’re such great people,” Cunningham had said. “They’re hall of famers in our league.”

Thus, their interaction on the sidelines before the Connecticut Sun-Indiana Fever game was another example of the lasting friendship that’s prevalent beyond WNBA teams. But many netizens didn’t see this interaction from that wise angle, leaving Cunningham with an uncomfortable moment.

Praise for Her Cool Nature and Uncomfortable Blame Surfaces Around Sophie Cunningham

“When COVID hit, Sophia was a rookie, and all alone quarantined in a new city with no one. BG and her roommate invited Sophie to live with them for over a year. Sophie says she will love BG forever because of that,” a fan commented.

The timeline of the comments seems to be plausible. But there are no valid sources to prove it is correct. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take away the fact that Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner share an excellent relationship, and their warm gestures on the sidelines just add weight to it.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Sophie asked Griner to shoulder strike Caitlin in the head and neck,” another fan wrote.

“Did she tell her to shoulder CC in the face later in the game?” remarked another.

The backdrop of these comments traces back to a sequence in the game when Griner seemingly hit Clark on the face with her shoulder while CC was driving towards the paint. Clark took the blow and fell on the ground.

Many felt that an offensive foul should have been called on Griner for “moving screen.” But against it, no foul was called, and it was rightly one of the most questionable sequences from the game. However, tying this incident to Cunningham and Griner’s pre-game conversation doesn’t have merit.

“Y’all in the comments are so stupid. Hating her for loving her long-time friend. It pains y’all she doesn’t move according to your narratives,” chimed in another.

“Everybody loves Sophie. She is so chill,” added another.

Many fans, including this one, were protective of Sophie Cunningham about the hate she’s receiving from a certain section of the community. They even raved about the Fever Guard’s nature, which makes her so comfortable with almost everyone. It needs to be noted that Cunningham isn’t just close with her former teammates.

She shared the same adorable bond with her Indiana Fever teammates, like Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull. Thus, placing the blame for Griner’s action against Clark on Cunningham is neither logical nor plausible.

Nevertheless, the Indiana Fever emerged as the better team at the end of the day. Clark’s team-high 25 points put the Fever in the driving seat. Meanwhile, Sophie Cunningham came off the bench to add 11 points in 18 minutes as the Fever won 85-75.