An incident occurred during a postgame press conference for the Indiana Fever, following their victory against the Portland Fire. A reporter from OutKick attempted to question players about Sophie Cunningham’s comments regarding trans athletes in women’s sports, but was stopped by an Indiana Fever representative. This action abruptly ended the press conference, and the exchange was omitted from the Fever’s official YouTube upload.
Aliyah Boston, who was present with Makayla Timpson and head coach Stephanie White, had earlier addressed the team’s focus amidst increased attention. She emphasized the importance of maintaining professionalism and not letting external noise affect their goals. ‘We just keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s hoop,’ Boston stated.
Following Boston’s responses, the OutKick reporter tried to bring up Cunningham’s stance on trans athletes, causing a Fever representative to intervene, saying, ‘We’re going to wrap up here.’ The official video posted by the Fever ended before this exchange, and they did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
Caitlin Clark, notably absent from interviews despite impressive performances, also faced media restrictions. This marked consecutive games where protests occurred outside the arena, in support of Cunningham’s comments on trans athlete participation in women’s sports.