Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images Ishaan Bhattacharya · HITC Thu, November 5, 2026 at 5:30 AM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WNBA star Sophie Cunningham shared her unfiltered thoughts on the one major difference between men's and women's basketball that she cannot wrap her head around.
Cunningham is hoping to be one of the premier names in the 2026 WNBA free agency market after her contract with the Indiana Fever expired. The nine-year WNBA veteran is bound to attract interest as a lights-out shooter.
Cunningham's growing profile off the court has made her a mainstream figure, with her podcast now being consumed by fans away from the basketball world. This might make her recent take create a negative perception of women's basketball.
On the latest episode of Sophie's 'No Hesitation Show' with trainer Drew Hanlen, Cunningham asked the famous basketball coach if he could explain why women struggle to make wide-open layups when men don't have the same issue.
"Why do women basketball players, why do we miss so many wide-open layups? It's a joke because it does actually happen… Like wide-open layups."
Hanlen tried to explain with reasons citing size and strength, but even he could not explain why wide-open layups had such a different rate of completion between men's and women's basketball.
The rim for both men's and women's basketball is at the same height, so this difference potentially could come down to just the average heights of the players, as the closer you are to the rim, the easier it is to score.
The average height in the WNBA is 6'0″, while the average height in the NBA is 6'6″. This could explain why there is such a perceived difference in the rate at which we see made wide-open layups in both leagues.
Cunningham sharing and validating this stereotype as a high-level WNBA player will give anti-WNBA fans more reasons to dismiss the league and women's basketball, but she just discussed something she views as an objective truth based on her experience as a professional athlete.
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Source: Sports
