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Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham broke her silence after being accused off having an affair with Josh Bartelstein, the married CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, her former team.
Cunningham denied the allegations and said she never met Gene Traylor, a former Suns employee who mentioned Bartelstein telling people he was sleeping with Cunningham in his lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and security issues.
"I am deeply saddened by the recent false accusations made against me by Gene Traylor, someone I don not know and have never met," Cunningham said in her statement. "Let me be clear his statements are untrue and extremely hurtful.
"I am here to complete, 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 accusation before several clickbait stories went to print.
"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."
Cunningham, 28, spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury after being selected by the franchise in the second-round of the 2019 WNBA Draft and had signed an extension last September before being traded to the Fever in February during the offseason. The guard was inactive for Saturday's (May 17) season-opening blowout win against the Chicago Sky due to an injury.
“Phoenix has become my home away from home, and I am so thrilled to be in the Valley and continue to get to play in front of the best fans in the W – the X-Factor,” Cunningham said when she signed her contract extension last September via the Mercury's official website. “The investments [owner] Mat [Ishbia] is making in our organization are unmatched and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of what we are building here, on the court and in the community.”
Bartelstein, 35, the NBA's youngest CEO, married his wife, Sydney, in 2022 and publicly praised her in a PhoenixMag.com feature story published last November.
“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.”
Bartelstein, a former basketball player at the University of Michigan, was hired by the Suns and Mercury as both franchises' CEO in April 2023 after eight years in the Detroit Pistons' front office.