While she did not mention Sophie Cunningham by name, it seems as if her former Indiana Fever teammate Sydney Colson is tired of hearing her opinions about the world and WNBA.
Colson issued a strong directive aimed at “white players” in the WNBA during an appearance on the “Togethxr” podcast platform this week.
Social media users online quickly assumed that Colson was referring to Cunningham because she mentioned trans athletes, whom Cunningham created a large discussion and debate about during the current WNBA season.
Colson criticized white players in the WNBA for not speaking up about social issues that affect Black players in the league.
“Listen, if you never speak up about a damn thing when it’s impacting the people that you claim to love, care about, you know, ‘we’re fighting together as a team’, ‘sister’, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and you don’t speak up when things affect them,” Colson said, “they don’t respect you, they’re just trying to make it.”
“For real, for the white players in the league,” Colson added, “when you don’t say sh-t, and even worse, when you say things that are harmful, you are talking about the trans sh-t, nobody respects you.”
“Shut the f-ck up. Just know people are just trying to get by when they’re dealing with you. And, y’all oughta be ashamed to act like you’re cool with people, to act like you care about sisterhood and all of these things…you’re fake,” she said.
Colson, Caitlin Clark, and Cunningham were teammates during the 2025 WNBA season. Colson appeared in 30 games (six starts) before a torn ACL ended her season prematurely last August.
On Sept. 29, Colson returned to the Fever’s home arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, for the first time since her injury to watch Clark and Cunningham take on now five-time MVP A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of this year’s playoffs.
Colson wound up in a heated confrontation courtside during the game after Wilson, another former teammate of hers, entered the front row to confront a man who pointed at her following a foul she committed against Cunningham.
Colson’s dispute was with a different Fever fan than the one Wilson had walked up to, but she ultimately had to be restrained, while her fellow podcast host and former teammate Theresa Plaisance called the man a “b-tch boy.”
Cunningham’s celebrity profile grew to a new level in 2026, when she spoke out against trans athletes competing in women’s sports during an interview with ESPN that was released in July.
Her comments set off a renewed round of political debates around the country, which included verbal attacks on trans people, forced other WNBA players and coaches to answer questions about the topic, and led to multiple protests at WNBA arenas. Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton even got suspended after she confronted two young girls who were holding up signs to support Cunningham in the front row at a game.
There are currently no trans players in the WNBA, although following Cunningham’s statements former NBA players Enes Kanter and Royce White have been trying their hardest bad-faith efforts to change that.
After being eliminated by the Aces and Wilson in the first round of playoffs, Cunningham, 30, will be a free agent this offseason after playing on a one-year contract that paid her $665,000. The Fever are expected to try and re-sign Cunningham.
Colson, 37, did not play this year while recovering from her torn ACL, although she hopes to return and play for her hometown Houston Comets to finish a WNBA career that has spanned 11 seasons and included two championships.
After being disbanded by the WNBA in 2008 due to their financial struggles, the Comets franchise name is returning in 2027 after the Connecticut Sun were purchased by Tilman J. Fertitta and moved to Houston.
“It’s where I’m born and raised. It’s where I live in the offseason. I grew up watching the Comets, so I was I was there for the back-to-back-to-back-to-back championships,” Colson told USA Today in August.
“I still have this like this journal at my mom’s house. I was in like third grade or something when I wrote about wanting to play in the WNBA for the Comets. So it’s going to see something very, very full circle if that’s able to happen. So I’m just trying to work towards that,” Colson explained.
