Sophie Cunningham has questioned why some men believe they could compete against professional women's basketball players after revealing that an Uber driver once told her he could break her ankles. The Indiana Fever guard shared the encounter while discussing the confidence of men who insist they could dominate in the WNBA despite having little basketball experience.
Speaking on the latest episode of her No Hesitation podcast with co-host Drew Hanlen, Cunningham recalled getting into an Uber when the driver suddenly recognised her. He then made his feelings about their hypothetical basketball match-up clear, telling her: 'I would break your ankles.'
'I'm like, "Okay." Like, yeah, like, I don't know why. Like, you know, you're a man. Why do men have that mindset?' Cunningham said.
Sophie Cunningham Questions Men's Confidence Against WNBA Players
The conversation began with Hanlen asking why men with little basketball success sometimes believe they could simply step into the WNBA and succeed. Cunningham said she had thought about the phenomenon herself, pointing to her encounter with the Uber driver as an example of the confidence she finds baffling.
Sophie Cunningham questions why men with ZERO ATHLETIC SUCCESS confidently believe they could easily dominate in the WNBA.
— nuel (@c68ty) November 2, 2026
Sophie Cunningham: "I had an Uber driver and like I'm under, it's not under my name. And then once I got in, he's like, 'Oh,' and I was like, 'What's up?'… pic.twitter.com/SklVjrD1mc
Hanlen, an NBA skills trainer who works with professional basketball players, said he had encountered similar attitudes at basketball facilities. He recalled asking men how they would perform if they played in the WNBA, only to receive remarkably ambitious answers.
'Man, I'll be the MVP. I'd average 30 and 20,' Hanlen recalled one person telling him. He said some men even believed their height alone would make them dominant players in the women's league, regardless of their actual basketball ability.
However, Hanlen said he would challenge these individuals to perform a basic basketball move before taking their claims seriously. He described asking them to make a left-handed lay-up without landing inside the paint, saying they struggled to complete the task.
The trainer found the contrast between their confidence and their actual abilities amusing, particularly when they continued insisting they could become stars in the WNBA. He suggested that comparing ordinary men with professional female athletes was disrespectful to the women who had spent years developing their skills.
Cunningham Says Former JV Players Underestimate WNBA Stars
Cunningham agreed with Hanlen but clarified that her criticism was directed at men who had never achieved much in basketball. She specifically mentioned former junior varsity players who believe they could suddenly enter the professional women's league and succeed.
'They're like former JV players that think that they could just jump onto the WNBA and be successful,' she said. 'No, you can't. You have no idea, you know, how talented some of these girls are.'
The Fever guard also explained that she could often recognise when someone making such claims had little understanding of basketball. She pointed to their running form and dribbling technique as indicators that their confidence did not necessarily match their abilities.
Theo Von CONFRONTS Sophie Cunningham about WNBA players constantly MISSING LAYUPS, but Sophie CLAPS BACK on NBA players after the stats showed that they MISS almost as many as the WNBA players on average 🤯🏀👀
— Slime🐍 (@ItsKingSlime) October 29, 2026
“We also can’t dunk the ball. If I was a man and I was able to dunk,… pic.twitter.com/0rmDNJxQdQ
Cunningham also brought up comedian Theo Von, who recently claimed he could score eight points in a WNBA game during an appearance on his This Past Weekend podcast. However, she distinguished between Von's comments and those of men who genuinely believe they could compete against professional players.
Theo Von had Sophie Cunningham DYING of LAUGHTER after telling her that he QUIT his basketball team to smoke cigarettes and then claimed that he would drop 8 points in a WNBA game 😭😭🚬
— Killa 🌺 (@KillaKreww) October 29, 2026
“Did they not have colored pictures back then?”
“Obviously they did”
“Where?”
“Look at… pic.twitter.com/CRjBPRq9Y4
'And I think Theo was joking. I'm pretty sure,' Cunningham said, before reiterating that she did not believe the other men making similar claims would be able to deliver on their promises.
Her comments came after she discussed her appearance on Von's podcast with Hanlen, revealing that she would be confident about beating the comedian in a one-on-one basketball game. The exchange has added another chapter to the ongoing debate about how professional women's basketball players are perceived by casual fans and people outside the sport.
