Sophie Cunningham says she's always been someone to put her locker room first, and Angel Reese's recent comments about the Chicago Sky needing to get "good players" did just the opposite.
The Indiana Fever star recently spoke about Reese's controversial soundbite on her Show Me Something podcast.
Reese was suspended over the weekend for the first half of the Sky's game against the Las Vegas Aces for telling reporters last week, "I'm not settling for the same s*** we did this year. We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That's a non-negotiable for me."
Speaking on Reese's remarks, Cunningham said, "No, that’s not great. And like, I get when you’re losing and it’s been a frustrating season, everyone is feeling those emotions. And what I say everyone, like it’s not just her—like I’m sure her teammates feel it, her coaches feel it, the organization, the fans, like literally everyone feels that."
She continued, "There’s just some things that you can’t say. And I think one of my biggest things is I’m a very team first person, like, I always put the team before my feelings. I think that should be a standard. You got to protect your locker room and so you just can’t be saying everything you’re feeling because that just is not a good look and then your teammates feel a certain way and that causes division in the locker room."
Cunningham ended by saying, "You can have those conversations behind closed doors, but to say it to the media, is kind of kind of brutal, I think."
Reese eventually apologized for her comments against the team, saying, "I think the language is taken out of context. I really didn't intentionally mean to put down my teammates, because they've been through this with me throughout the whole year. They've busted their ass, just like I've busted my ass. They've showed up for me through thick and thin, and in the locker room when nobody could see anything."
The Sky currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 10-33 record.
