Sophie Cunningham has apparently had enough of people running their mouths online, and she's letting Mike Tyson do the talking.
According to Fox News, the Indiana Fever guard shared one of the boxing legend's most infamous quotes on her Instagram Story after a separate post about personal accountability and self-improvement reportedly drew backlash. While Cunningham didn't name anyone specifically, the message she reposted wasn't exactly subtle.
"Social media made y'all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it," the quote read.
The Tyson repost followed a lengthy message from entrepreneur Andy Frisella that Cunningham shared after the November 3 midterm elections. Rather than endorsing a candidate or political party, the post argued that Americans should spend less time looking to politicians for solutions and more time examining their own behavior.
"One of the strangest things about our culture is how much faith we've placed in elections to change our lives and how little faith we've placed in our own ability to do the same," Frisella wrote.
His message concluded with another pointed observation: "Personal excellence is the Ultimate Rebellion."
Cunningham didn't elaborate on either repost, leaving the exact circumstances behind the Tyson quote unclear. However, the 30-year-old has made no secret of her frustration with online criticism, particularly as her public profile has grown beyond basketball.
"I literally don't even care what anybody says about me anymore," Cunningham said. "If you're going to live by the praise, you're going to die by the hate."
She also rejected the suggestion that her contributions should be measured strictly by her numbers.
"I know what I bring to the table, it's not always in the stat sheet," she added.
Much of the criticism surrounding Cunningham stems from her outspoken opposition to transgender women competing in women's sports. Her comments to ESPN in July sparked protests outside WNBA games and criticism from former soccer star Megan Rapinoe, while drawing support from other public figures.
Cunningham has maintained that her position doesn't amount to hostility toward transgender people and previously described her political views as falling somewhere in the middle.
But Cunningham has also said some of the attention directed toward her goes beyond disagreements and insults.
During an appearance on Theo Von's This Past Weekend podcast, she claimed the FBI was monitoring approximately 20 people over alleged stalking concerns involving her. That claim has not been independently verified.
"We do have a lot of stalkers. I know I do," she told Von.
More recently, Cunningham revealed that she had hired around-the-clock personal security as her growing celebrity made it increasingly difficult to go out in public without being recognized.
