Caitlin Clark shut down a reporter's follow-up question about teammate Sophie Cunningham's controversial comments on trans athletes in women's sports, speaking to media after the Indiana Fever's 108-100 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.
The game was overshadowed by protesters clashing outside the arena and by Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who wore a shirt reading "Trans Kids Belong" courtside.
Clark, who seemed in no mood to delve into her own thoughts on the subject, told the packed media room: "I think, for us, it's not really a discussion we really have in our locker room. I think it's for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions, but our focus is on basketball. That's what we talk about and how we can get wins, and, obviously, we didn't do that tonight."
A second reporter then followed up with a question on the same subject. Clark's response was blunt: "I just answered for you."
Cunningham's comments spark backlash
Clark's insistence on "focusing on basketball" came after Cunningham sparked a wide reaction with her remarks on trans athletes in an interview with ESPN. The Fever guard said young girls "shouldn't have to go against biological men" when playing sports.
Every Fever game since has drawn both pro- and anti-trans protests inside and outside the arena. On Sunday, demonstrators on each side of the debate clashed outside the venue, while Reeve was seen in an animated discussion with Cunningham courtside before the game while wearing her "Trans Kids Belong" shirt.
Asked about the exchange afterward, Reeve said: "I think it's great. I think both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate. There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. I think it's how you handle things. It was nice to be in person, for sure."
Activists rally outside the arena
Pro-women's rights activist Riley Gaines was in the crowd for the game and held up a sign reading "SOPHIE, THANK YOU - A GIRL MOM." After the final buzzer, Cunningham posed for photos with Gaines and Jennifer Sey, founder of the group XX-XY, in the empty arena.
The WNBA does not currently have any transgender players who were assigned male at birth, and none have ever competed in the league. Cases of transgender athletes at the NCAA level have made national news on occasion, but such athletes remain rare. In 2024, NCAA president Charlie Baker estimated fewer than 10 were competing at the time.
Cunningham says the protests are not a distraction
In Portland a few days before the Minnesota game, Cunningham had tried to calm the growing division surrounding the Fever's games, saying the protests were not distracting her or her teammates on the court.
"I think everyone who knows me personally, they know that I'm full of love. I'm bubbly. I love the people around me," she said. "I love basketball. I love inspiring the next generation and doing that in a positive light. And so that doesn't even cross my mind. Doesn't cross my teammates' minds."
Cunningham supporters have now turned out at Fever games in Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis as the debate has followed the team on the road.
