"If you're going to talk s**t then back it up" - Sophie Cunningham gets real on WNBA players abandoning handshake ritual after games

WNBA star Sophie Cunningham and co-host West Wilson dropped on Tuesday the latest episode of their podcast, “Show Me Something.” A caller wanted to know their thoughts about basketball players no longer lining up to shake hands after games. Cunningham thought that Covid ended the practice, but Wilson added that it was stopped because players would sometimes come to blows.

The Indiana Fever guard responded to Wilson’s remark (39:30 mark):

“If you’re gonna talk s**t, then back it up and then you have nothing to worry about. A lot of those people who do that, they can’t back it up. … I think shaking hands, it’s cool, but no one means it.”

In the NHL, despite games getting chippy and all-out brawls sometimes happening, the handshake line after the game remains a tradition. During the Covid-hit season, hockey players did the fist bump instead of handshakes or hugs.

The same practice could not be said in basketball, where NBA and WNBA players often select the opponent they want to interact with. For Sophie Cunningham, the handshake line is unnecessary.

However, Cunningham explained that all basketball players shake hands or dap up before tip-off.

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Sophie Cunningham thought Fever were few calls away from WNBA Finals appearance

Sophie Cunningham watched helplessly as the Indiana Fever lost a five-game thriller to the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces. In the deciding Game 5, the injury-riddled Fever pushed the A’ja Wilson and Co. to overtime before bowing out of the playoffs.

(20:20 mark)

On Tuesday, Cunningham weighed in on how things could have turned out differently:

“A couple of calls going our way, we would have been in the finals, which is insane to think about.”

The Fever also did not have Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, Chloe Bibby, Damiris Dantas and superstar point guard Caitlin Clark throughout the playoffs. Despite playing without key contributors, Indiana nearly pulled off the improbable.

In Game 5, the Fever lost Kelsey Mitchell to cramps in the third quarter. Aliyah Boston fouled in the fourth quarter, and yet, they pushed the stacked Aces to overtime.

Sophie Cunningham is uncertain about what the future holds because of the stalemate in CBA talks. Still, she expressed confidence that the Fever would be special if the front office could bring the team together for next season.

Edited by Michael Macasero