LeBron James has a lot of skills. Choosing his words carefully online is not always one of them. This week the four-time champion took a swipe at Sophie Cunningham, and the word he picked was “crybaby.” It took about five minutes for him to regret it. Alex Bruno has the full story.
It happened on a podcast. LeBron was talking about the WNBA’s growing rivalries when Cunningham’s name came up. He laughed and said she was “a crybaby who complains about every whistle.”
The clip spread fast. Within an hour it had millions of views, and Cunningham’s fans were not amused. “He picked the wrong person,” one Indiana Fever fan posted. “Sophie has been waiting her whole life for a moment like this.”
Cunningham didn’t wait long. She posted a short video from the locker room, wearing a towel on her head and a grin on her face. “I’m a crybaby?” she said. “LeBron, you flopped so hard in 2014 they had to call a chiropractor for the floor.” Then she added, “Love you, King. Call me when you want to talk about toughness.”
She wasn’t finished. Pointing to the Olympic rings tattooed on a teammate’s arm, she added one more line: “If you don’t love America, then maybe don’t represent America.”
The internet loved it. Players from both leagues reposted it. A few NBA stars added crying-laughing emojis, which in today’s sports world counts as a public statement.
By the next morning, LeBron’s tone had changed. He told reporters he was “just having fun” and that he respects what Cunningham brings to the court.
“She’s a competitor,” he said. “I should’ve picked a different word. Maybe ‘passionate.’ Passionate works.” People close to him say he realized quickly that picking a fight with Cunningham was like picking a fight with the weather. You don’t win. You just get wet.
Cunningham has become one of the most popular players in women’s basketball, and moments like this are a big reason why. She’s funny, fearless and doesn’t seem to care who she’s talking to.
“She treats LeBron the same way she treats a guard from a rival team,” one longtime WNBA reporter said. “That’s rare. Most people get starstruck. Sophie gets a punchline.” Her jersey sales reportedly jumped the day after the clip went viral.
The exchange also showed how much attention the WNBA gets now. A few years ago, a comment like LeBron’s might have passed quietly. Now it’s a national story with podcasts, think pieces and late-night jokes.
“That’s growth,” said a sports marketing consultant. “When the biggest name in basketball is getting roasted by a WNBA player and everyone’s watching, the league is in a good place.”
Inside the Fever locker room, Cunningham’s teammates reportedly couldn’t stop laughing. One of them printed out the “crybaby” quote and taped it to her locker, right above a photo of LeBron mid-flop.
“We gave her a pacifier at practice,” a teammate said. “She put it on her keychain.”
Over in Los Angeles, the mood was a little more awkward. One Lakers staffer said the team’s social media people spent the day “pretending the internet doesn’t exist.” Another player joked that LeBron should “stick to arguing with refs,” which, to be fair, is something both he and Cunningham are very good at.
Probably not, at least from LeBron. Cunningham, on the other hand, told a reporter she has “a whole notebook” of comebacks ready just in case.
“I don’t start things,” she said, smiling. “I just finish them.”