“Go to Chicago, or Portland. Or maybe Toronto could use a 30-year-old unrestricted free agent who averages fewer than 8 points a game” – This was the jab from The Athletic’s columnist Candace Buckner to Sophie Cunningham. Buckner made quite a stir on social media after calling for the Indiana Fever to cut ties with Sophie Cunningham, as she believes the guard takes the attention away from basketball.

And while there is truth to that with the whole transgender athlete controversy Cunningham sparked back in July in an ESPN profile, former ESPN anchor Linda Cohn has shifted the conversation to her actual on-court contribution, something she believes has gone under the radar with Cunningham this season.

“It’s not just about how many points she scores coming off the bench. It’s her toughness. It’s her energy, her willingness to defend her teammates. All the above, especially Caitlin Clark and the chemistry she helps create in that locker room.”

“Those things matter. And I’m not saying Sophie is irreplaceable, but I think sometimes we’re so quick to focus on what a player doesn’t do that we overlook all the little things that they actually do to help a team win. And in Sophie’s case, I think some of those contributions are seriously undervalued.” Linda Cohn said on her YouTube channel.

According to Cohn, what Cunningham brings to the Fever cannot fully be represented on the stat sheet. While she is not the franchise’s top asset in scoring, defending, or playmaking, the 30-year-old is one of the leaders in the locker room, something which Fever General Manager Amber Cox has also praised.

Coming back to Cohn’s comments, the former ESPN host specifically mentioned Cunningham defending Caitlin Clark. This can be traced back to last season, when the Fever guard retaliated against Connecticut Sun’s Jacy Sheldon after she poked Clark in the eye. Later, Cunningham went on to track Sheldon and wrapped her arms around her to prevent her from shooting.

An enormous altercation occurred between both teams following this discourse, and three players were ejected from the game, including Cunningham and Sheldon. Cunningham received the title “enforcer” from fans, and while Buckner believes such occurrences have attracted the wrong fan base, Cohn shed a positive light on Cunningham.

Cohn is not the only one who feels Cunningham is being undervalued as a player. Following Buckner’s article, No Hesitation’s co-host Drew Hanlen joined Sophie Cunningham on their podcast, where he revealed Cunningham’s impact as a bench player for the Fever, all while disregarding the “personal attacks” he felt Buckner wrongfully directed at the 30-year-old.

“So first thing in the article, it said, what team would want a bench player that only averages eight points? Well, she was the fourth-leading bench scorer in the W. So a lot of teams would want a top-five bench scorer that also happens to be a top-five three-point shooter in the entire league, not just bench players.”

“And then the second thing was, even if Cunningham’s effectiveness on the court didn’t shine, and the key word was effectiveness. In the entire WNBA, Sophie was fourth in effective field goal percentage at 60.8%. So questioning your effectiveness when you were the fourth most effective player by definition was crazy.” Hanlen said.

Cunningham averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 46% field goal efficiency in the regular season. And as Hanlen pointed out, these are pretty decent figures for a bench player. Cunningham’s strengths off the bench were on highlight against the Sun in this season’s Commissioner’s Cup.

With 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, the guard scored the Fever’s final 11 points. She channeled her inner Steph Curry to hit three shots from outside the arc, including a dagger triple with 23 seconds left. A tough drive to the basket sealed an 85–75 win thanks to her sharpness as a substitute.

Regardless, Cunningham had no interest in entertaining this topic much more. While she did not reference Buckner directly, she coined her and others who have a similar opinion about her as “thirsty to be relevant.”

“And no matter what anyone says to me, I’m going to continue to do me. I know what I bring to the table. It’s not always in the stat sheet. And so, for you to not say I’m effective or any of that, whatever. S*** it.” The Fever guard added.

The good news for Cunningham comes from the Fever’s front office. In Amber Cox’s exit interview, the GM replied with an emphatic “No” when asked whether Cunningham’s “outside stuff” would influence her decision on retaining the 30-year-old guard.

“Sophie’s had two really productive years for us in terms of shooting the basketball. She is a really solid leader in the locker room, a great connector. She brings levity, but also brings a lot of experience, and she’s serious and is an important voice in our locker room when we need it.” Cox said.

While Buckner’s opinion is a stark difference from the likes of Cohn and Cox, the offseason is long. With Sophie Cunningham remaining uncertain for free agency, it will be interesting to see where the 30-year-old’s path narrows down to.