Who Could Have Seen a Riley Gaines and Sophie Cunningham Collab Coming Besides Everyone?

The so-called “MAGA Barbie” of the WNBA and the Fifth-Place Avenger have made contact. WNBA player Sophie Cunningham, a guard for the Indiana Fever, was seen hanging out and posing for photos with NCAA swimmer and anti-trans crusader Riley Gaines at a Sunday away game between the Fever and the Minnesota Lynx. Gaines, who has made a career out of right-wing advocacy after disappointing finishes in her college career, tweeted a photo of the pair together, with Cunningham sticking her tongue out. Gaines was wearing a T-shirt for XX-XY, an apparel brand that opposes trans inclusion in sports.Little girls belong! https://t.co/Ik8IgVIvN9 pic.twitter.com/1tRK4bMuE2— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 2, 2026 Other social media accounts posted photos of the pair posing together courtside, with Cunningham holding up a sign that said “Sophie, Thank you — A Girl Mom,” though it is unclear who gave the player the fan-made sign.WNBA player Sophie Cunningham poses with right-wing influencer Riley Gaines and former Levi’s executive Jennifer Sey after the Fever vs. Lynx game today. pic.twitter.com/aQFX9aOVio— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) August 2, 2026 The sign that Cunningham held likely references the same comments which would have endeared her to Gaines. In July, while speaking to ESPN for a profile, Cunningham apologized for re-upping an anti-trans tweet about swimmer Lia Thomas, against whom Gaines competed, and denied “hating trans” while also reaffirming her stance opposing trans participation in sports. “I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” she told ESPN. “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.”She later doubled down on those comments, saying, “I think I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sens