On its own, the shirt might have been dismissed as routine WNBA activism.But the timing made it impossible to ignore.The official Seattle Storm X account quickly endorsed the message, featuring Dolson wearing the shirt across its official social media channels.Kayla McBride of the Minnesota Lynx and Stefanie Dolson of the Seattle Storm talk after the game at Climate Pledge Arena on July 20, 2026, in Seattle, Wash.
(Getty Images)SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM RALLY ROCKS WNBA GAME AS 'SAVE WOMEN'S SPORTS' ACTIVISTS FACE COUNTERPROTESTTuesday's pregame scene made the league's broader embrace of transgender inclusion impossible to miss while putting Cunningham, one of its few dissenting voices, in the spotlight.Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham reacts after scoring during the second half of a WNBA game against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)The WNBA has long viewed itself as the vanguard of progressive sports leagues, consistently embracing social activism while leaving little room for dissenting views.The controversy began after ESPN published a profile on Cunningham in which the Fever guard addressed the backlash she has received for defending women's sports.Stefanie Dolson of the Seattle Storm looks on before a game against the Portland Fire on July 4, 2026, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash.
(NBAE via Getty Images)Cunningham pushed back on critics who have accused her of being anti-trans."I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans.And I'm like, 'I never once said that,'" Cunningham said.
"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."When reporters later asked whether she still stood by those comments, Cunningham didn't waver.WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS WNBA STAR SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM AFTER SHE SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF...