"The Grift Is Alive and Well" - Fans Erupt as Riley Gaines Backs Sophie Cunningham’s Comment on Michael Porter Jr.’s Controversial WNBA Statement

WNBA: Playoffs-Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream - Source: Imagn
Fans Erupt as Riley Gaines Backs Sophie Cunningham’s Comment on Michael Porter Jr.’s Controversial WNBA Statement - Source: Imagn

Michael Porter Jr. had a gutsy declaration, saying that he could have beaten a WNBA team when he was just in eighth grade. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham agreed to Porter Jr.'s statements, as she believed that the Brooklyn Nets forward was probably right.

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“I mean, it’s probably true," Cunningham said during her Show Me Something podcast.
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Conservative athlete Riley Gaines commented on Cunningham's reaction, agreeing with the Fever guard's opinion on Porter Jr.

"Based," she wrote on X.
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Some fans took offence at Gaines' comment, roasting her continuous expression of her opinions on women's basketball.

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Others agreed with Gaines and Cunningham's belief, praising them for standing by what they believe in.

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Cunningham is coming off a solid season with the Indiana Fever, where she put up 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. She only appeared in 30 games after injuring her MCL during the WNBA regular season.

Meanwhile, Porter Jr., who was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Brooklyn Nets last offseason, is averaging 24.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.


Sophie Cunningham believes there is no need for comparisons with lower-level competition

Sophie Cunningham expressed her own opinion on Porter Jr. comparisons of high school basketball and the WNBA. According to Cunningham, it is valid to compare great high school teams, but she believes there is no need to do so since the answer is obvious.

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“If you’re in that elite level group, yeah, you should be able to beat the girls. I’m not surprised by that," Cunningham said.
"When we hear these types of conversations or debates and we bring it back to high school, I think I was someone who was blessed with a great high school team,” she said. “So when I’m trying to compare our dominant high school team to what he’s saying, I’m like, you know, that’s kind of valid. At the end of the day, the men in sports will always win. Duh.”
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Cunningham will enter free agency this offseason, but has to wait for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to be enacted.

Cunningham has been vocal about her opinions on basketball and other things through her podcasts and other ventures.

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Edited by Rob Andrew Lo
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