Stephen A. Smith, the ESPN personality, has expressed strong support for Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham's recent comments regarding transgender athletes in women's sports. Smith stated on his SiriusXM Radio show Thursday that Cunningham is "a thousand percent right" in her stance.

Cunningham, in an interview with ESPN published Tuesday, discussed her views on transgender athletes, emphasizing the importance of protecting young girls in sports. She later reiterated her position to reporters, stating, "I said what I said, I think it’s common sense. I think I’ll always believe in that, it’s really important to protect children. And that’s little girls, who are also involved in that category. I stand by what I said and I’ll always believe that."

Smith echoed Cunningham's sentiments, posing a hypothetical scenario about an elite male athlete transitioning to play in the WNBA. "What if an NBA player decided to transition to playing in the WNBA?" Smith asked. "How elite would they be? How great would they be? We gotta put stuff in its proper perspective and call it like it is."

He clarified his position, stating, "I am a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. I believe in supporting people’s civil rights and civil liberties come hell or high water. To the end. But you also gotta look out for everybody else. You can’t look out for a trans athlete at the expense of biological women. What did they do?"

Smith suggested the creation of separate leagues for transgender athletes, describing the idea as "simple" and not inherently wrong. He argued that society has become fearful of expressing such views, but that it is important to acknowledge the perceived unfairness of biological males competing in women's sports.

Cunningham, who has been labeled by some online circles as "MAGA Barbie," told ESPN that she identifies as being more nuanced in her political views, describing herself as "very much in the middle" and agreeing with and disagreeing with points from both sides of the political spectrum.

The 29-year-old guard scored eight points and added three rebounds, two assists, and one steal in the Indiana Fever's 123-88 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday. She is currently averaging 9.3 points per game for the Fever, who hold a 17-10 record as the WNBA heads into its All-Star break.