Sophie Cunningham responds sharply to criticism for not watching the US national team's World Cup matches

S ophie Cunningham has pushed back against criticism over her decision not to watch the United States' FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup final against France, insisting that her absence from the broadcast did not mean she was indifferent to the team or her Indiana Fever teammates.

The controversy began after Cunningham attended the NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois on September 13, the same day Team USA faced France for the gold medal.

Cunningham was working at the event as a USA Network studio analyst and spent time around several prominent figures from the motorsport world, including Michael Jordan and Jeff Gordon .

When she was asked the following day whether she had watched Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston play for Team USA, Cunningham gave a brief response: “No, I was busy.”

After being informed that the United States had beaten France and that Clark and Boston had "got it done," Cunningham replied: “Good! Congrats,”

That response quickly circulated online, with some fans questioning why a Fever player would not have watched two of her teammates compete for a gold medal.

Cunningham has now offered considerably more context on her No Hesitation podcast, explaining that she had been following the tournament even though she was not sitting down to watch the final.

“I definitely saw the stats,” she said on the podcast.

She then described the repeated questions she received about whether she had watched the game.

“I knew they won gold. Some guy was like, ‘So did you watch the game?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ And they’re like, ‘Well, they won gold.’ And I’m like, ‘Duh, they won gold.’ Like, you don’t think that I’m not invested in, first of all, USA, on any sport, I’m going to be tracking. And then like, if my coach is there and my two teammates, I’m dialed in, but people are just dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.”

Cunningham's NASCAR appearance created an awkward comparison

The timing of the NASCAR assignment made the situation particularly noticeable. Cunningham was not simply away from basketball during the World Cup final; she was actively appearing at another major sporting event.

During the broadcast, she made clear how much the opportunity meant to her.

“We’re here in Illinois with NASCAR,” she said. “It’s been the best day of my entire life. I feel these are my people. I belong here. I’m wearing all-black; I got my leather on, boots on. I’m pulling out my Talladega nights, baby.”

The NASCAR role also gave Cunningham the opportunity to interact with Michael Jordan , a fellow basketball icon who was attending the event in his capacity as co-owner of 23XI Racing.

Meanwhile, Team USA was completing one of the most dominant runs in the history of the women's World Cup. The Americans defeated France 97-79 in the final to win their fifth consecutive World Cup title and 12th overall. The victory also extended the United States' World Cup winning streak to 36 games.

Clark played a significant role throughout the tournament despite coming off the bench. She averaged 7.8 points and a team-leading 5.3 assists per game, while Boston contributed primarily through her defense and averaged 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks.

Indiana also had representation on the coaching staff. Fever head coach Stephanie White served as an assistant to Team USA head coach Kara Lawson.

White subsequently praised Clark's performance during a Fever practice.

“It was really great,” she told reporters.

“You could tell the way she was able to change the game with her pace…I thought her floor game was outstanding. I mean, the way that she got everybody involved was outstanding. And you could see her confidence continue to grow as the tournament progressed. And that shot that she hit right before halftime against France was a momentum-changing shot. She stepped up, and she knocked it down.”

Cunningham's clarification arrives as Indiana prepares for the final stretch of the WNBA regular season. The Fever entered the final week with a 26-14 record and a playoff position already secured, with four games remaining on the schedule.

Her explanation does not change the fact that she missed the live broadcast of the gold-medal game, but she clearly wants to distinguish that decision from a lack of interest in Team USA.

For Cunningham , the message is straightforward: she was working at another sporting event, followed the result and knew exactly what had happened. With the Fever's postseason push now approaching, her attention has returned to Indiana and the team's remaining games.