Fever shut down Sophie Cunningham questions, abruptly end press conference

The Indiana Fever cut off a question from a reporter sent by OutKick after the team’s 112-98 win over the Portland Fire on Friday night after he attempted to ask a question about the recent remarks Sophie Cunningham made about trans athletes participating in women’s sports.

The exchange between the reporter and the Fever’s public relations staff abruptly ended the press conference and was excluded from the Fever’s official YouTube upload of it.

The interaction came after Aliyah Boston, who was on the podium with Makayla Timpson and head coach Stephanie White, answered a question about how the team has not let the extra attention it has received over the last few seasons affect the locker room.

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Sophie Cunningham No. 8 of the Indiana Fever warms up before a game against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on July 28, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)

“Yeah, I think first of all that’s what we build with who we have coming in. We know that there is always going to be attention with the Fever and for us it’s about coming in and winning games. It’s about showing up and doing what we can to continue to take steps forward in this league, and I think there is always going to be outside noise,” Boston said.

“But I think we’ve been professionals long enough to know that if you let that affect you then you’re not really here for the right things, so for us we just keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s hoop.”

Immediately after Boston’s answer, the reporter sent by OutKick jumped in, attempting to ask Boston and Timpson about Sophie Cunningham’s recent stance on the women’s sports debate that was engulfed the WNBA.

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Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever drives to the basket as Emily Engstler of the Portland Fire defends during the first quarter at Moda Center on July 31, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (Amanda Loman/Getty Images)

A Fever representative quickly jumped in, saying, “We’re going to wrap up here.”

Boston then thanked the reporters and wished them a good day before exiting the podium.

The YouTube video the Fever posted concluded with Boston’s answer and completely cut off the exchange between the reporter and the public relations staffer. The Fever did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

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Caitlin Clark #22 and Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever high five during a game against the Portland Fire on July 31, 2026, at Moda Center in Portland, Ore. (NBAE via Getty Images)

The Fever also did not make Caitlin Clark available for comment despite recording the fourth triple-double of her career following the team’s fifth straight win. It was the second straight game Clark was not made available to the media.

It was the second game in a row that a rally took place outside of the arena to support Cunningham amid her recent comments on her stance in trans athletes in women’s sports.

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