Jennifer Sey reveals alleged liaison with Sophie Cunningham during XX-XY Athletics recruitment pitch
Jennifer Sey is ready to make Sophie Cunningham a XX-XY Athletics star – and says she’d “give my right arm” to convince the WNBA star to leave Adidas for her own brand.
Sey, founder and CEO of the women’s sportswear brand, told Fox News Digital that he has been looking to sign Cunningham since the Indiana Fever star privately endorsed XX-XY Athletics’ “Dear Nike” campaign for XX-XY in 2024.
“He’s the perfect person for us,” Sey said. “We have wanted to work with him for a long time.”
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“Not only is he an elite athlete, he is currently a competitive professional athlete,” he added. “She’s just got an unbelievable personality. She’s sweet and funny and tough and speaks her mind, and that’s what we’re all about.”
Sey revealed that he first opened up about Cunningham after XX-XY Athletics released its “Dear Nike” ad in October 2024. The ad challenged the sportswear giant to take on natural male competitors in women’s sports, and generated more than 10 million views.
Sey says Cunningham liked and commented on the original ad, then sent Sey a direct message on social media praising it. But Sey said he hadn’t seen the message for months because it was going into a folder of messages from accounts he didn’t follow.
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“She liked it and commented on it. She actually DMed me on Instagram, which I didn’t see for months because I’m an idiot and I never check the little tab for strangers,” Sey said.
“Because there are so many there, I never looked, and I never followed her. I don’t know who she is. And after a few months, and she was just taking a trip now like Caitlin. [Clark]’s defender… I checked that random tab on anonymous DMs and he sent me a DM about an ad, that he really likes Dear Nike, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I should have… How did I miss this? I should have answered months ago.’
Fox News Digital has reached out to Cunningham’s representatives for comment.
Cunningham already has a contract with Adidas, preparing to release his first publicly available sneaker on Friday. The Adidas Crazy Energy “Sophie Cunningham” PE will retail for $120. It’s Cunningham’s colorway of an existing Adidas model, not a signature shoe created just for him. Adidas recently introduced the Crazy Energy line.
But Sey is hopeful that Cunningham will eventually be out of Adidas.
“I would do anything in my power to get him to defect from Adidas and come work with us,” said Sey. “I don’t know if it’s possible for Sophie to do that, but I’d give my right arm for her to do it.”
Sey criticized Adidas for not publicly promoting Cunningham’s position in the days since the WNBA star went public with her position.
“Adidas is not a name that supports women,” said Sey.
Sey also pointed to Adidas’s Pride 2023 campaign, which featured a male model wearing a swimsuit sold in the women’s section. Adidas said at the time that the collection promotes LGBTQIA+ representation and acceptance. Sey also criticized the company’s sponsorship of the Boston Marathon, whose rules allow transgender athletes to compete in their gender category, even though eligibility for prize money is governed by World Athletics standards.
Even now when it’s really hot it’s not like Adidas comes out and says, ‘We’re with Sophie. We agree that women’s sports must be protected,” said Sey. “Shut up.”
“They want to take advantage of Sassy Sophie pointing out,” he added. “They don’t really want to stand with him when he says something that offends people.”
Still, Sey praised Adidas for not abandoning Cunningham as a customer after making his statements.
“It says something is changing the culture on this issue. They are not abandoning him,” said Sey.
Sey admitted that XX-XY could not match Adidas’ financial resources. But he said his brand could offer Cunningham something a global sportswear company couldn’t: high payouts and unconditional support.
Sey previously served as chief marketing officer of Levi Strauss & Co. He said he personally interviewed famous people during his time at Levi’s and often sold potential ambassadors to these relationships in exchange for the biggest check.
“I wasn’t giving much money,” Sey said. “I was giving a very good relationship.”
Asked how much he would give Cunningham, Sey refused to say the figure.
“I would raise as much money as possible to pay him, to make a deal in his favor, but I’m not going to pretend I can’t pay what Adidas can pay,” said Sey. “We’re going to be a lot of fun to work with.”
“He’s not going to be the third-ranked athlete on our list. He’s going to be the first,” added Sey. “And he’ll be able to say whatever he wants, and we’ll bring him back.”
Sey also puts Cunningham in something bigger than traditional endorsements.
After the WNBA Players Association refused to allow the team’s license holders to sell a viral image of Cunningham, Sey posted a silhouette modeled on the site. The union called the photo “disrespectful,” according to an initial report, but later explained that it usually avoids disputes over money among its members. It clarified that Cunningham remains free to license or develop its own products.
Sey promised to produce a hoodie with the silhouette and give all profits to Cunningham. Now he envisions using it as a trademark for the Cunningham line under XX-XY, similar to how Michael Jordan’s Jumpman became a Jordan Brand trademark.
“Sophie can have her name like Jordan and us, and that logo,” said Sey.
“That should be the XX-XY Cunningham collection logo.”
Cunningham’s profile has risen significantly since joining Caitlin Clark and Fever in 2025. Known as Clark’s on-court protégé, she became one of the WNBA’s most visible figures after her longtime feud with Phoenix Mercury veteran DeWanna Bonner came to a head in June.
The 29-year-old guard is also enjoying one of his most productive seasons. Cunningham entered the All-Star break averaging 9.3 points while shooting 47.4% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range.
His growing popularity has extended beyond basketball. Cunningham recently appeared as a guest ring girl at UFC 329 and has established herself as an outspoken, funny and combative person.
She then goes into some of the most divisive issues in women’s sports.
Cunningham told ESPN this week that she wants to protect girls who “don’t have to deal with natural men” in sports or share locker rooms with them. He later doubled down, calling his position “common sense” while insisting he doesn’t hate transgender people.
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“I said what I said,” Cunningham told reporters on Wednesday. “I think it’s very important to protect children, and those little girls are part of that category. I stand by what I said.”
The Fever responded that its players are entitled to their opinions.
“Our players are thinking adults with their own opinions and voices, and those opinions are theirs,” said the organization. “We’re committed to welcoming fans of all backgrounds and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what drives us as an organization.”
