Martina Navratilova Rushes to Sophie Cunningham’s Defense After Journalist Urges Indiana Fever to Part Ways With Her Amid WNBA Trans Debate

Martina Navratilova defended Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after Candace Buckner, a columnist at The Athletic, a sports publication owned by The New York Times, urged the WNBA team to part ways with her. The reason was her opposition to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

Cunningham has always been pretty vocal about this controversial subject. Also, during her interview with ESPN in July this year, Cunningham said she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” Because of her statements, rallies both supporting and opposing trans athletes’ inclusion in women’s sports were held during Fever’s games.

After all the drama, Buckner said Fever should get rid of Cunningham if they want to focus only on basketball again. Buckner also believes having both Caitlin Clark and Cunningham on the same team is too much, especially since the 24-year-old already faces a lot of criticism over race.

If the Fever ever want to go back to being a basketball team again and follow the lead of rivals openly clashing with the forces trying to hijack their league, then Cunningham has to go. […] Cunningham is too combustible, her takes too turbulent to be paired with Caitlin Clark. On the same team, it’s just too much. Clark, by her presence alone, already can’t get through a season without being thrown into gutter debates that pit White against Black; hate that appears even in the DMs of her own teammates.

Candace Buckner wrote

Navratilova is of a different opinion. The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion has been outspoken on this issue, and has time and again said she doesn’t advocate for trans inclusion in women’s sports.

Buckner seems to forget the W in @WNBA stands for women. There was nothing wrong with what Sophie said originally. It’s the response from WNBA that made it blow up. The policy is the problem, not Sophie Cunningham.

Martina Navratilova wrote on X

Check out her post here:

@nytimes @TheAthletic Buckner seems to forget the W in @WNBA stand for women. There was nothing wrong with what Sophie said originally. It’s the response from WNBA that made it blow up. The policy is the problem, not Sophie Cunningham

— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) October 6, 2026

Martina Navratilova on Chris Evert’s cancer battle

Martina Navratilova recently gave an interview to PBS NewsHour, during which she talked about her friendship with her fellow 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Chris Evert as well as their battles with cancer. Navratilova was diagnosed with a very early form of breast cancer in 2010 and underwent a lumpectomy and radiation treatment. In 2023, she was diagnosed with breast cancer again, as well as stage 1 throat cancer.

I’m all free. Free of everything. I just have to do breast cancer screenings every six months, rather than once a year. I’m on the lucky spectrum. Chris had a more difficult cancer, but she’s tough, and she’s going to be OK.

Martina Navratilova said

Evert battled stage 1 ovarian cancer in 2021, and after undergoing treatments, she faced recurrence of the disease. This year in June, she revealed that the cancer has returned for the third time.

We stay in touch through text all the time, and we speak maybe once a week, once every two weeks. So I will see her after the Open and make some more pesto for her, because she likes my pesto.

Martina Navratilova added

Navratilova led 43-37 in head-to-head matchups with Evert, who retired in 1989 after winning 157 singles titles. Navratilova hung up her racket for the final time in 2006 after winning 167 singles titles (an Open Era record) as well as 177 doubles titles (also an Open Era record). They met 14 times in Grand Slam singles finals, with Navratilova emerging victorious 10 times.

Also read: Ben Shelton Reveals What Girlfriend Trinity Rodman Taught Him About Perseverance: “I Saw Her Sit Out With a Serious Injury”