Love and basketball.
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has been accused of having an affair with married Phoenix Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein, a former Suns employee claimed in a new lawsuit obtained by Page Six.
Per the docs filed last week, Gene Traylor — who worked as the director of safety, security and risk management for the Suns — alleged racial discrimination and security issues within the basketball leagues.
Traylor claimed in the docs that Cornelius Craig — who has worked as the vice president of security and risk management for the Suns and the Mercury since 2024 — demoted him on his first day at work.
Traylor claimed that he spoke with Bartelstein about Craig’s behavior because he believed he was being targeted.
Traylor told Bartelstein, 36, that Craig had been telling people that the basketball executive was allegedly having an affair with the 28-year-old Indiana Fever player, according to the suit.
“[Traylor] also shared with Bartelstein that Craig had been spreading damaging information that could jeopardize the organization,” the lawsuit read.
According to the docs, Traylor told Bartelstein that Craig had been telling others that “Josh Bartelstein is f–king Sophie Cunningham.”
“Additionally, Plaintiff requested that Bartelstein speak with the security team about Craig’s behavior. The Plaintiff further expressed frustration that complaints made to the People & Culture department had not been addressed,” according to the docs.
Page Six has reached out to Cunningham for comment but did not immediately hear back. A contact for Bartelstein and Craig was not available.
Stacey Mitch, the Senior Vice President of Communications for the Suns, told Page Six in a statement Tuesday: “The recent reports concerning Josh Bartelstein and Sophie Cunningham are entirely false and morally reprehensible.”
Mitch added that the organization will “pursue all available legal avenues and hold those accountable for participating in the spread of misleading and false narratives.”
Cunningham was selected as the 13th overall pick of the 2019 WNBA draft by the Mercury.
In January, she was traded to the Fever, joining WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
Meanwhile, Bartelstein tied the knot with his wife, Sydney Cox, in August 2022.
In a November 2024 interview with Phoenix Magazine, the NBA’s youngest CEO praised his wife for making his job easier.
“This job is incredibly demanding. It’s the best job ever, but it’s long hours, high-stress and -pressure, and public-facing. And I travel a lot,” he said.
“Me and Sydney have done it together, and she’s a huge reason why I love what I get to do.”
