Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is accused of having an affair with Josh Bartelstein, the married CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, her former team, according to a lawsuit obtained by the Daily Mail.

Gene Taylor, who worked as the Suns' director of safety, security and risk management, filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and security issues within the NBA franchise, which included details on Cornelius Craig, who had previously worked as the vice president of security and risk management, telling people that Bartelstein was sleeping with Cunningham.

“Plaintiff also shared with Bartelstein that Craig had been spreading damaging information that could jeopardize the organization,” the lawsuit states. “When Bartelstein asked Plaintiff to reveal what Craig was saying, Plaintiff explained that Craig had been telling others, ‘Josh Bartelstein is f**king Sophie Cunningham.'”

Cunningham, 28, spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury after being selected by the franchise in the second-round of the 2019 WNBA Draft and had signed an extension last September before being traded to the Fever in February during the offseason. The guard was inactive for Saturday's (May 17) season-opening blowout win against the Chicago Sky due to an injury.

“Phoenix has become my home away from home, and I am so thrilled to be in the Valley and continue to get to play in front of the best fans in the W – the X-Factor,” Cunningham said when she signed her contract extension last September via the Mercury's official website. “The investments [owner] Mat [Ishbia] is making in our organization are unmatched and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of what we are building here, on the court and in the community.”

Bartelstein, 35, the NBA's youngest CEO, married his wife, Sydney, in 2022 and publicly praised her in a PhoenixMag.com feature story published last November.

“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.”

Bartelstein, a former basketball player at the University of Michigan, was hired by the Suns and Mercury as both franchises' CEO in April 2023 after eight years in the Detroit Pistons' front office.

Bill Handel