Cunningham, Wilson and The Volume have not publicly said their disagreement about transgender athletes caused the change. They also have not formally explained Wilson’s departure from the program. Wilson shared his position shortly after an ESPN profile reported Cunningham’s belief that women’s sports should remain reserved for biological females. He argued that transgender participation in American sports was receiving disproportionate attention and criticized conservatives, politicians, athletes and news organizations over their portrayals of transgender people. Cunningham continued to stand behind her position. “I said what I said. I think it’s common sense,” she told reporters in July.Sophie Cunningham is BACK with world renowned basketball trainer Drew Hanlen. New episodes dropping every Thursday, with Episode 1 dropping later today. This is No Hesitation. pic.twitter.com/xEANAaslRs
— No Hesitation Show (@NoHesiShow) September 10, 2026
“I think I’ll always believe in that. It’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category.”She has repeatedly said she does not hate transgender people and believes there is room to love everyone. At the same time, Cunningham has maintained that the rights, safety, and opportunities of biological women must be protected. Neither Cunningham nor Hanlen discussed Wilson or the dispute during the first episode of “No Hesitation.” Instead, Cunningham presented the podcast as a destination for candid conversations centered on basketball. “I just felt like there was not a podcast or really any social media out there that gave you real, honest truth about basketball and strictly basketball,” Cunningham said. Hanlen addressed the political attention surrounding Cunningham and said the public often receives a distorted impression of her. “People think you’re like some troll and make statements, but really it’s 99% of the time people ask you a question, you answer, you give your opinion, and then people blow it up and act like you made a big political statement,” Hanlen said.
“Stop asking me questions if you don’t want the truth,” Cunningham responded. The discussion later moved to media coverage of the WNBA and its players. Cunningham said popularity and politics can influence attention and award voting rather than performance on the court. “I think it’s very political,” Cunningham said. “I think there’s a lot of people who are really, really great who don’t get the credit because maybe they don’t have the popularity or they don’t have the platform.” “I don’t know if there’s voting fatigue,” she added. “I just don’t know how accurate the voting is at times.” Cunningham also agreed with Hanlen’s argument that WNBA media members often prioritize matters beyond the game itself. “I think you kind of hit it when you said the WNBA media pretty much covers everything but basketball,” Cunningham said. She urged reporters to highlight the league’s players and their accomplishments. “Now it’s on the WNBA media to actually tell the good stories, to tell the positive stories, to actually talk about basketball and how freaking awesome our league is playing this year,” Cunningham said. “History is being made this year.” The episode also included Cunningham’s assessment of Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA. After Hanlen compared Clark’s influence to the effects Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods had on their sports, Cunningham said that influence should be clear even though other stars also helped the league grow. “I should not get in trouble for knowing the obvious,” Cunningham said. “That doesn’t mean there wasn’t greatness before her.” “The talent has always, always been there,” she added. “But now, us players, we just have the platform and the eyes, and companies want to be a part of something great and something that is growing.” Cunningham also discussed what she wants from the WNBA’s next commissioner after Cathy Engelbert announced she will retire at the end of 2026 following seven years leading the league. The WNBA credited Engelbert with major gains in attendance, viewership, franchise valuations and media revenue, while expanding from 12 teams to 18 by 2030. Cunningham said adequate practice facilities should be the next commissioner’s first priority, noting that some teams lack suitable courts and weight rooms. She criticized owners who fail to provide professional players with appropriate resources, saying, “That should be the bare freaking minimum.” She also called for a commissioner who communicates directly with players, remains firm under pressure and can bring together a politically divided league. “They need to be bold. They need to be confident,” Cunningham said. “We’re not always going to agree, but I think there’s a level of respect that you can have and just being a human, being friendly and nice. I think that’s a really good start.”Sophie Cunningham gets grilled by WNBA reporters for saying men shouldn’t be able to play women’s sports. Refuses to back down. “I said what I said.” Eloquently defends women’s sports as woke reporters press her. Love all of this. Well done @sophaller. pic.twitter.com/kUjlt8ZZDH
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 23, 2026
Cunningham said future episodes of “No Hesitation” will focus on film study, strategy and the personalities shaping professional basketball. New episodes are scheduled to be released each Thursday.Sophie Cunningham on the No Hesitation Podcast says the WNBA Commissioner referring to Cathy Engelbert who was fired and will be replaced would be in a room with 5 people and not even say hi. No wonder why she had no relationship with the players and most of them hated her. pic.twitter.com/dhDkViMerk
— Andy froemel (@FroemelAndy) September 11, 2026
