Early this month, Sophie Cunningham told reporters that she wanted the conversation around her to shift back to basketball.
That proved easier said than done. During the Fever’s visit to Toronto to face the Tempo on Tuesday, Cunningham was met with a hostile reception, with boos raining down seemingly every time she touched the ball.
The response quickly sparked another wave of reactions from the WNBA world.
Canadians Booing Sophie Cunningham Sparks Backlash As WNBA Fans Rally Behind Controversial Fever Guard
Scotiabank Arena buzzed when Cunningham entered the game with 4:34 remaining in the opening quarter. The noise quickly turned into boos once she touched the ball.
The same pattern followed when Cunningham stepped to the free-throw line for her first attempt. She quieted the crowd by making the first shot, but the boos grew louder after she missed the second.
Cunningham, however, appeared unfazed. The Fever’s 3-and-D specialist responded by letting her game do the talking, finishing with 13 points on 3-for-4 shooting and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Her reception and her response immediately drew fiery online reactions.
“Listening to these fools boo Sophie Cunningham every time she gets the ball and remembering it’s all because she said girls should have their own sports. Insane,” a WNBA observer wrote.
“Tempo fans were booing Sophie Cunningham. Not fair,” a self-proclaimed Fever diehard added.
“[Expletive] woke Canadians boo @sophaller every time she touches the ball. How does Missouri’s rockstar respond? Sinks a three and smiles. God bless Sophie Cunningham,” Missouri Senator Nick Schroer reacted.
“The fans in Toronto, Canada, boo Sophie Cunningham. She responds by hitting a deep three. The Indiana Fever truly are America’s Team,” political and sports commentator Andy Froemel tweeted.
“People that boo Sophie Cunningham for just being logical is so weird to me,” another WNBA observer noted.
“Toronto boo’d Sophie Cunningham, so she answered by going 3-3 from 3,” OutKick’s Jon Root remarked.
The controversy surrounding Cunningham began last month when she told ESPN that women’s sports should remain exclusive to biological females. Since then, Fever road games have increasingly attracted attention from supporters and critics of her position.
Toronto became the latest stop where that debate followed her onto the court. Whether the boos were driven by her views, her Fever jersey, or simply the usual hostility reserved for a visiting player, Cunningham offered the simplest possible response: she kept shooting.
For a player who asked everyone earlier this month to “keep the main thing the main thing,” 3 made 3-pointers were a pretty effective reminder of what that main thing is.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.