@sophie_cham/Instagram

Stephen A. Smith has publicly backed Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in the ongoing WNBA debate over the so-called transgender eligibility, arguing that the league office failed to establish clear rules and has allowed the issue to become increasingly politicized.

Speaking on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith said Cunningham has his support for her position on protecting girls in competitive sports while criticizing the WNBA’s handling of the broader controversy.

“You got to have rules and regulations. You got to have law. You got to have order,” Smith said. “You can’t have this.”

Cunningham became a central figure in the debate in late July after telling ESPN that she wanted to protect young girls in sports and locker rooms from having to compete against or share spaces with biological males. She said her position was not rooted in hatred toward the so-called transgender people and emphasized that she wanted to maintain fairness and safety in women’s sports.

Cunningham subsequently stood by her comments despite the backlash. Before a game on July 23, she characterized her position as common sense and said, “I said what I said,” later repeating the phrase in an Instagram post.

Smith separated Cunningham’s position from his criticism of the league itself. He argued that the WNBA’s failure to establish sufficiently clear policies has created an environment in which politicians and outside groups can influence the discussion.

“The WNBA left the door open for it to happen. They have dropped the ball,” Smith said. “I’m talking about the league office. I’m not talking about the players.”

The controversy has also drawn political involvement. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier entered the discussion, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and President Donald Trump also expressed support for Cunningham’s position that men should not compete in women’s sports.

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association took a different position, condemning what it described as hate, abuse and the demonization of the so-called transgender people while warning against using WNBA players as political pawns.

Smith also questioned whether the political reaction would have been the same if Cunningham had held a different political outlook.

“I wonder if he would have said that if it was somebody other than Sophie Cunningham,” Smith said of Uthmeier. “If that had been a liberal or somebody with a liberal thinking mind … would he have taken that position then?”

For Smith, the controversy ultimately comes down to the league establishing definitive rules rather than continuing to react to political pressure.

“The time has come for folks to stop whining about how stuff is being politicized and do something about it so it can’t be politicized,” Smith said. “Do something or suck it up.”

Cunningham has since indicated that she wants to move beyond the controversy and return the focus to basketball.

Meanwhile, former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White used the opportunity to expose the absurdity of the WNBA’s position and declaring for the league’s draft.