Wnba star sophie cunningham accused by phoenix suns employee of having affair with married ceo josh bartelstein in bombshell lawsuit 

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.” EXPLORE MORE “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.” -------------------------

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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.” According to the

Suns spokesperson, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Sheree Wright, is “serving a two-year probation with the Arizona State Bar for violating the rules of professional conduct.” Mitch also claimed

that the lawyer has filed multiple lawsuits that have since been “dismissed” or “voluntarily withdrawn.” According to the State Bar of Arizona, Wright was placed on a two-year probation in

August 2024. Wright told Page Six Tuesday that she stands by the allegations brought in the lawsuit. “The claim involving Sophie Cunningham is not fabricated—it was corroborated long before

the complaint was filed, and the organization is well aware of this,” she claims. She added of her probation that she’s a “licensed attorney in good standing,” and it has “no bearing on the

merits of this case.” “Let me be very clear: I will not be bullied, and I will not be silenced. My clients deserve to be heard,” she concluded. On Wednesday, Cunningham took to X to deny

that she was having an affair with Bartelstein. “I am deeply saddened by the recent false accusations made against me by Gene Traylor, someone I do not know and have never met,” she tweeted.

“Let me be clear his statements are untrue and extremely hurtful.” The athlete said she holds herself “to the highest integrity and my values are what guide me on and off the court.” She

also claimed that she was not contacted by media outlets for comment on this story, however, Page Six reached out to the email that was provided for inquiries in her Instagram bio. “I will

not let untrue gossip take my focus away from what is most important to me, which is basketball, my supportive team and my fans,” she concluded. 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.”