WNBA viral star Cunningham wades into trans athletes row

Basketball star and internet sensation Sophie Cunningham has become a lightning rod in the debate over transgender athletes in women's sports after her call to "protect young girls" in locker rooms drew White House praise.

But the 6-foot-1 blonde from Missouri -- nicknamed "MAGA Barbie" by some observers in a league increasingly riven by racial tensions and stereotypes -- is drawing headlines this week for her views on trans athletes.

"I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men," she told ESPN in an interview published Tuesday.

"I think it's kind of common sense... it's really important to protect children, and that's little girls who are also involved in that category," she told reporters before a game Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday leapt to Cunningham's defense, dubbing "left-wing" backlash against the star player "ludicrous" and "astonishing."

Trump "is following the story. As you know, this is something the president feels strongly about as well, and the American people do too," Leavitt said.

For her part, Cunningham says she is "not a very political person" and "very much in the middle," but spoke out because of her moral beliefs, and her expertise as a top female athlete.

"I have never once said I hated the trans community... I think there's space for everyone," she said, before the Fever's 123-88 win over the Connecticut Sun in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Cunningham's team, the Indiana Fever, on Wednesday issued a statement saying: "Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own."

"I really don't care what other people have to say. I know who I am," said Cunningham, when asked about the reaction.

"My people know who I am, and hopefully, I'm doing them proud and making room for young boys and girls in our world to have a better future than we did."