Bombshell Lawsuit Accuses Phoenix Suns CEO Of Affair With WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham Months Before Blockbuster Trade

Sophie Cunningham (Grace Smith/IndyStar-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The 2025 WNBA season has started off with a bang, with Sophie Cunningham securing major headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Indiana Fever star is playing for a new team this year, but she has something from her past coming up in a damning new lawsuit.

The Phoenix Suns are now tied into a mirage of lawsuits that paint a harrowing picture of workplace dysfunction, racial discrimination, and sexual scandal.

A shocking new lawsuit is accusing Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein of an improper sexual relationship with former Phoenix Mercury star Sophie Cunningham as part of a broader claim of racial discrimination and retaliatory demotion.

The federal complaint filed by Gene Traylor, the Suns’ former director of safety, security, and risk management, recalls a disturbing conversation with Suns executive Dan Craig, in which Craig allegedly told others that Bartelstein was romantically involved with Cunningham.

Bartelstein pressed Traylor for details and quoted the following:

“Josh Bartelstein is f**ing Sophie Cunningham,” according to court documents obtained and reported by Front Office Sports.

Neither Bartelstein nor Cunningham has responded publicly to the accusation.

Traylor’s claim is the fourth federal lawsuit filed against the Suns organization since November 2024.

What Is The Status of Sophie Cunningham And Josh Bartelstein?

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)
A lawsuit is accusing Phoenix Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein and former Mercury player Sophie Cunningham of having an affair after a former employee filed a lawsuit.

For Cunningham, she is currently not in a relationship with anyone. Cunningham, the Indiana Fever’s latest addition, opened up with fans on social media in March and revealed exactly why she believes she hasn’t found the right one just yet.

One follower asked why she isn’t married. Cunningham responded by posting a video of herself chugging a drink courtside at the WNBA All-Star Game in July, stating, “I’ve received this question A LOT.”

“I think it’s cause I’m a rat and an embarrassment to society. Also, this was all ice and doesn’t do my skills any justice,” she continued, referencing the video. “But back to being not married, it’ll happen before I die, CAUSE WON’T HE DO IT.”

Josh Bartelstein, on the other hand, might have some explaining to do when he gets home.

In August 2022, he got married to Sydney Cox in Chicago.