Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham beefed up her security after her headline-making year, both on and off the court.
During Monday’s installment of the “No Hesitation” podcast, Cunningham — who was a lightning rod this past season for her remarks on transgender athletes in women’s sports — explained that she hired around-the-clock security after she became more recognizable outside of her uniform.
“I will say… definitely in certain places people kind of knew who I was and i couldn’t really go anywhere,” Cunningham, who is a free agent, said. “Now it doesn’t matter what state, what city, it’s everywhere.
“And so I’ve hired security and they’re going to start traveling with me actually next week 24/7. So that’s a little different. It kind of stops you from your regular routine.”
Cunningham explained that she doesn’t pay attention to her critics.
“I’m still a dweeb, but I think you know that,” she told cohost Drew Hanlen. “… It’s all these people who are so unhappy or just, honestly, psychotic that are so mean and have so much hatred in their heart, and if you want to take it out on me, fine. I’m the one who can handle it.”
This came after Cunningham said during a Oct. 28 appearance on the “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” podcast that she was dealing with stalkers.
“There’s also a lot of kind of crazy people to,” Cunningham told Von. “We do have a lot of stalkers, I know I do… And thats’ the negative side of things that people don’t think about… I have 20, I think, people kind of that the FBI are watching for me.”
Cunningham mentioned that she knew of one man named Kevin, who is “locked away now” after stalking her.
Kevin Singh, 48, was arrested on felony charges of stalking and intimidation, as well as a misdemeanor harassment charge in June, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, per The Associated Press.
In September 2025, Singh hand-delivered a package addressed to “Sophie” at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Fever’s home arena, containing a letter and a Guns N’ Roses T-shirt sprayed with men’s cologne, according an affidavit.
Cunningham made headlines this past season for remarks she made on transgender athletes.
In an interview with ESPN, published in July, Cunningham said she wants to “protect young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Cunningham’s remarks sparked a wave of debates around the WNBA on the participation of trans athletes in women’s sports.
Some of her fans organized rallies at Fever games in support of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.
After the Fever were eliminated from the WNBA Playoffs by the Aces in their best-of-three first-round series on Oct. 1, Cunningham was in the news again.
President Donald Trump praised her looks during multiple campaign rallies that month.
The president, who called Cunningham “a beautiful young woman,” said she would “help…with attendance” if she was a kicker for a football team and that there are “a lot of men wanting to go and watch her” while speaking at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, Oct. 12.
After that, he praised Cunningham again at his rally in Montana on Oct. 15.
“I dont even know if she can play,” Trump said. “I assume she can. She’s probably good, but there is something that’s really great. I sort of like her. I must tell you, she’s great… but she’s good at bringing sanity to life.”
Cunningham reportedly gained more Instagram followers during the 2025-26 WNBA season than 49 of the most-followed players in the league combined — as well as and more than any NBA player.
