Sophie Cunningham fan who was confronted by Storm co-owner opens up on incident and facing trans athletes - Fox News

Washington state high school athlete Ahnaleigh Wilson and her parents Elizabeth and Brendan Wilson speak out after a controversial incident at a Seattle Storm game.

Washington state high school athlete Ahnaleigh Wilson was pushed into a starting spot under the lights of the national culture war over women's sports this week when she was allegedly berated at a WNBA game.

Now, in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital, she and her family are speaking out for the first time since Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended for an exchange with the teenager.

"I'm glad that the WNBA stepped in and decided to at least do something about it, and they did something about it quickly," Wilson said. "It was good to see that they kind of put some kind of punishment into place."

Wilson went viral Tuesday night for speaking out about being allegedly heckled by Keaton during the Storm's game against the Indiana Fever. Wilson was not prepared to take on such public attention, and she and her family say it has caused them issues. The teen was there simply to support Sophie Cunningham after Cunningham took a public stand to save girls' sports.

"She was sitting directly across from us on the court, and we hadn't really noticed her much. And then she had walked over to talk to the people to the right of where we were sitting, and when she stopped talking to them, she turned and looked at us," Wilson, who sat courtside, said.

STORM CO-OWNER SUSPENDED AFTER INCIDENT WITH SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM FANS AS STAR BREAKS SILENCE ON CONTROVERSY

Keaton then allegedly called Wilson and her friend "f—ing insane," for her support of Cunningham and the protection of women's sports.

"After she was done, she kind of just walked away, and me and my friend were just like, 'What just happened?' Um, we were kind of stunned. I was like, "I'm not gonna cry, not gonna cry." Um, but I feel like I kind of cry, I don't know, when I feel overwhelmed or anything, honestly. So I started crying a little, and I was kind of embarrassed, 'cause I really didn't want to," Wilson added.

The emotional response was in part because of how personal the issue of protecting girls' sports is for Wilson. Washington is one of the 19 states in the U.S. that actively protects the rights of males to compete in girls' sports. So in eighth grade, she and her family said she lost a regional championship race to a biological male trans athlete in May 2024.

Wilson had to work her way back from a knee injury to compete in that race, and had the lead, up until the final lap, before the trans athlete zoomed past her and took first place. Wilson also said she had to compete against a male athlete four times this past school year in cross country.

A fan holds an Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham sign during the first half between the Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., on July 28, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

"They don't know my story. They don't know that I've actually experienced this, and I've experienced it more than once. I'm going to junior year now, and I've competed against a biological male four times. these people don't even know what I've gone through," she said.

"It's disappointing, especially when it's other women."

So when Cunningham publicly took a stand for protecting girls' sports, it was enough to motivate Wilson to go to a WNBA game for the first time. She attended a rally outside Climate Pledge Arena in celebration of Cunningham.

But when Wilson got inside Climate Pledge Arena, she says she was heckled by other fans and eventually by Keaton, which brought her to tears, then spoke about the experience in a since-viral interview right after the game with independent Washington-based journalist Brandi Kruse.

When Wilson woke up the next morning, she slowly realized what she had gotten into.

Her friend opened Instagram first. One post about the incident appeared, followed by another. Then came coverage from national outlets. By the time the WNBA announced Keaton’s punishment, the story was everywhere.

"It was crazy," Wilson said. "I was expecting it, obviously, to kind of be big because it is a WNBA co-owner of the Seattle Storm and she was rude, but I guess I wasn’t expecting it to blow up that quick."

Fans celebrate Sophie Cunningham at a rally in Seattle. (Courtesy of Women Are Real)