Sophie Cunningham Affair Lawsuit Bartelstein
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Sophie Cunningham is named in the latest lawsuit against the Phoenix Suns. She is accused of having an affair with CEO Josh Bartelstein.
Neither party issued a statement. However, the organization vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
Cunningham, 28, played the first six years of her WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury is owned by the same group as the Suns. It was Robert Sarver and co. from 2004-2023. Mat Ishbia bought both teams in 2023.
The timeline of these latest allegations are unclear but Bartelstein was officially hired as the CEO of the Suns and Mercury and the operating entity for the Footprint Center on April 10, 2023. Cunningham was traded to the Fever to play alongside Caitlin Clark in early March 2025.
This latest lawsuit was filed by a former director of security. He claims the franchise is guilty of racial discrimination and claims it has serious security deficiencies. Gene Traylor accuses the organization of ignoring urgent safety concerns that ultimately preceded high-profile incidents, like when Britney Griner was harassed at the airport. In an email to Front Office Sports, Stacey Mitch, the team’s senior vice president of communications, called the latest allegations “delusional and categorically false.”
Putting all of these allegations aside, let’s focus on Sophie Cunningham and Josh Bartelstein. As far as I can tell, the latter is still married to his wife of almost three years. He married Sydney Cox in 2022.
Cornelius Craig was hired as the Phoenix Suns’ Vice President of Security and Risk Management. Craig allegedly told multiple members of his staff, including plaintiff Traylor, that Bartlestein was having an affair with Cunningham.
Plaintiff also shared with Bartelstein that Craig had been spreading damaging information about him that could jeopardize the organization.
When Bartelstein asked Plaintiff to reveal what Craig was saying, Plaintiff explained that Craig had been telling others, “Josh Bartelstein is f—— Sophie Cunningham.” Additionally, Plaintiff requested that Bartelstein speak with the security team about Craig’s behavior. The Plaintiff further expressed frustration that complaints made to the People & Culture department had not been addressed.
— Gene Traylor vs Sports & Entertainment Services, LLC
Neither Cunningham nor Bartelstein issued comment on the allegations as of this writing. They may choose to ignore the claims in an attempt to discredit their validity all together. They could decide to issue separate statements of denial. Sophie Cunningham may leave the talking to Josh Bartelstein.
I do not know whether Traylor is telling the truth about what Craig said. I do not know if Craig actually knew of a real-life affair but I do have my questions based on the stark contrast in appearance between the two supposedly involved parties. I’d like to think Cunningham can do much better and would not stoop so low. We’ll see. The truth will come out in court.
But with that being said, true or not, the timing of the Indiana Fever trade does not help the optics of the lawsuit. The fiery shooting guard was traded amid (or after?) an alleged affair. It doesn’t look great!
Grayson Weir BroBible editor avatar