Breadcrumb Trail LinksSportsBasketballNBAIndiana Fever guard defended Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr.'s viral hot take during podcast appearancePublished Nov 24, 2025 • 2 minute readSophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever gets fired up during a game against the Washington Mystics. Getty ImagesArticle contentBeing one of the brightest stars in the WNBA, Sophie Cunningham should know a thing or two about just how good the best players in the women’s game are.Advertisement 2THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsArticle contentSo it should come as a surprise to some that she didn’t come to the defence of her colleagues over viral comments made by former NBA champion Michael Porter Jr. last week, who said that a team of grade-school boys could take down the stars of the WNBA.Article contentArticle contentDuring an appearance on the Ball in the Family podcast with Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, Porter Jr. made the assertion that a team of elite eight-grade boys could beat the WNBA all-stars in a game of hoops.Porter claimed to have scrimmaged against Cunningham’s University of Missouri team when he was “in the seventh or eighth grade, going crazy.“I mean this as respectfully as possible, but ninth-grade Lonzo Ball in the WNBA is going crazy,” Ball said.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Play VideoYour Midday SunYour noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againArticle contentAdvertisement 3Article contentCunningham ‘not surprised’ by Porter’s takeThe topic went viral on social media before Cunningham weighed in on her own podcast, agreeing with the NBA stars.“This is my personal opinion. But if you are a professional football player, basketball player, really any sport … If you’re in that elite-level group, yeah, you should be able to beat the girls,” she said on her Show Me Something podcast. “I’m not surprised by that. I just don’t get why it’s continuing to get brought up.“If women are saying, ‘He couldn’t beat them,’ yeah, he could. Any NBA star could beat a female in high school,” she said. “I don’t want to be unrealistic or delusional. Like, men are just stronger, bigger, athletic. They just are a different build. So if you put them up against females, yeah, they’re gonna win.”Advertisement 4Article contentSophie Cunningham, who Michael Porter Jr. claims he beat in a Mizzou basketball practice in 8th grade, reacted to MPJ’s recent comments: “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… pic.twitter.com/pVbrxyYShV— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) November 23, 2025Advertisement 5Article contentCunningham, who co-hosts the pod with her friend West Wilson, clarified that the boys would have to be future pros, not just an average group of youngsters.RECOMMENDED VIDEOWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Play VideoPut it in context“The context of it is fair,” she said. “If (the eighth-graders) are future pros, it just depends how big they are. And the majority of the time, if they’re going pro, unless you’re a late bloomer you’re already pretty big.“So I would say that that’s probably true. It’s probably true.”Cunningham, who plays for the Indiana Fever alongside superstar Caitlin Clark, added that she was not trying to disrespect her WNBA colleagues, but was merely stating reality.“I just don’t think that’s a fair matchup,” she said.Cunningham, who finished her first season with the Fever after playing her first six WNBA seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.With her podcast, a following of more than 1.3 million people on Instagram and friendship with Clark, Cunningham has become one of the league’s most recognizable stars off the court.Read More Caitlin Clark’s coach: WNBA superstar is ‘a pawn in other people’s narratives’ Caitlin Clark says Napheesa Collier made ’valid’ points, WNBA commissioner Engelbert hasn’t contacted her Article contentShare this article in your social networkComments Join the Conversation