Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has voiced strong criticism of Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton, describing her alleged confrontation with two teenage fans as "truly embarrassing." The incident occurred Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle during a WNBA game.
Cunningham's statement on X (formerly Twitter) came after the two young fans reported that Keaton verbally abused them for holding a sign that read, "Thank you, Sophie for speaking up for girls!" The sign supported Cunningham's recent public stance against transgender women competing in women's sports.
According to the teens, Keaton approached them, telling them "Jesus loves everyone" and later adding, "I hope Jesus can forgive you for what sin you’ve done." The co-owner then allegedly called the girls "f—– insane," pointing to her head and saying, "God can save you," which left one of the fans in tears.
"I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY," Cunningham wrote on X. "Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind."
Cunningham praised the teenagers for "standing up for what they believe" and stated, "Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon yay for gifts."
She further commented on Keaton's actions, stating they "show the type of leader she is."
The teenagers, who were also wearing apparel from Jennifer Sey's company XX-XY, designed to advocate for the protection of women's sports, reported feeling unwelcome throughout the game. They noted that other attendees turned their backs or moved away from them.
In response to the incident, the WNBA has fined Keaton and suspended her from attending the Storm's next five home games, according to reports.
Cunningham has previously expressed her views on transgender athletes in an ESPN article this month, asserting her desire to protect female athletes without harboring hate. She stated, "I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men."