PHOENIX, ARIZONA — Amid ongoing discussions surrounding Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham’s recent remarks on transgender athletes, a completely fabricated rumor began circulating online claiming that NBA superstar LeBron James had publicly slammed her, prompting a sharp and colorful rebuttal from the WNBA player.
The Rumor: A Supposed Clash Between Cunningham and LeBron James
A viral post shared across platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook alleged that Cunningham had fired back at James, supposedly labeling him “McFloppy” and telling him to stay out of debates regarding women’s sports. The post framed Cunningham as a fearless figure standing up to prominent male athletes, driving hundreds of thousands of views and drawing a wave of supportive—yet misinformed—comments from users who believed the exchange actually happened.
Fact Check: The Entire Story is Fabricated
Despite the traction the post gained online, there is zero truth to the claim.
- No Evidence of a Statement: LeBron James has made no public comments regarding Cunningham’s stance on transgender athletes, and standard Google searches yield no credible reports of such a feud. Given the media spotlight on Cunningham, an exchange with a player of James’ stature would have made major sports headlines.
- Source Lacks Credibility: The social media account responsible for pushing the narrative has a history of sharing unverified and fake stories.
- AI and Satire Confirmation: Fact-checking tools, including Grok, confirmed that the quote originated from satirical and unverified social media accounts—some of which explicitly label their content as fictional—and have been repeatedly debunked.
Sophie Cunningham Stands by Her Comments on Women’s Sports
The fake feud rumors arrived in the wake of real-life backlash Cunningham faced following an ESPN interview where she addressed the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Addressing her critics, Cunningham clarified her position, stating, “I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’ … I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Reiterating her stance, she added, “I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense. … I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls, who are involved in that category.”