BREAKING NEWS WNBA star Sophie Cunningham breaks her silence on shocking claims she had an affair with Phoenix Suns CEO
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has categorically denied claims she had an affair with the married CEO of the Phoenix Suns, calling the allegations 'untrue and extremely hurtful.'
A senior team official accused Josh Bartelstein, the CEO of the Suns and Mercury, of having a relationship with Cunningham, now a teammate of Caitlin Clark at the Indiana Fever. That is according to a lawsuit filed by Gene Traylor, the Suns ' director of security, earlier in May.
Bartelstein married his wife Sydney in 2022, while Cunningham joined the Fever in February following half a decade in Phoenix.
The Suns branded the allegations 'morally reprehensible' and now Cunningham has broken her silence with a furious statement.
'I am deeply saddened by the recent false accusations made against me by Gene Traylor, someone I do not know and have never met. Let me be clear his statements are untrue and extremely hurtful,' she wrote on social media.
'I am here to compete, play basketball at the highest level and win for my team and my fans, while inspiring other women that they can do or be anything they ever dream of becoming.
'I hold myself to the highest integrity and my values are what guide me on and off the court.
'To the media who reported on this, I have always spoken the truth and been transparent with any press inquiry. In this instance it feels irresponsible that I was never asked for a comment about the accusations before several clickbait stories went to print.
Cunningham did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment earlier this week. Her statement concluded: 'I will not let untrue gossip take my focus away from what is most important to me which is basketball, my supportive team and my fans.'
Traylor accuses the Suns of racial discrimination and says they dismissed his safety concerns and it led to major breaches - such as when Britney Griner was harassed at an airport not long after her release from a Russian penal colony.
However, the lawsuit also alleges that Traylor told Bartelstein that Cornelius Craig, the Vice President of Security and Risk Management, was spreading 'damaging information about him that could jeopardize the organization.'
Traylor recounts in the suit a conversation with Bartelstein where he claims that Craig had been telling people 'Josh Bartelstein is f***ing Sophie Cunningham.'
On Tuesday, Suns spokesperson Stacey Mitch told Front Office Sports: 'The recent reports concerning Josh Bartelstein and Sophie Cunningham are entirely false and morally reprehensible.
'Let's be absolutely clear about the origin of these claims.'
The Suns last week also took aim at Sheree Wright, one of the attorneys representing Traylor along with Courtney Walters.
'The Supreme Court of Arizona has twice disciplined attorney Sheree Wright for committing numerous violations of the rules of professional conduct, and she is currently serving a two-year probation with the State Bar of Arizona,' a Suns spokeswoman said.
'This time, Ms. Wright and her client have made absurd accusations of misconduct surrounding the security department of the Phoenix Suns. These allegations are delusional and categorically false.'
In a November 2024 interview with Phoenix Mag, Bartelstein, a former college basketball player, praised his wife Sydney's influence on his day-to-day life.
'This job is incredibly demanding. It's the best job ever, but it's long hours, high-stress and pressure, and public-facing. And I travel a lot,' he said. 'Me and Sydney have done it together, and she's a huge reason why I love what I get to do.'
Cunningham has missed both of the Fever's games at the start of the 2025 WNBA season due to an ankle injury.
Without her, the Fever enjoyed an emphatic 93-58 win against Chicago Sky on the opening day before losing 91-90 to the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.
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