On Thursday’s episode of the “No Hesitation” podcast, Drew Hanlen compared Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić’s first nine games of the 2026-27 NBA season with Sophie Cunningham’s entire 2026 WNBA campaign.

The answer he got back left fans in disbelief, as Indiana Fever guard Cunningham turned the conversation to the gap between their paychecks and pulled another Lakers guard into the mix.

Fans React as Sophie Cunningham’s Response to Luka Dončić Comparison Ropes In Quentin Grimes

Hanlen, who trains Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, compared Dončić’s shot and free-throw attempts with Cunningham’s 2026 totals: “Through his first nine games, he has attempted 221 shots. You, last season in 43 games, attempted 226 shots. Luka has attempted 102 free throws already after nine games. Last season, you attempted 74.”

Cunningham answered, “You’re missing a big one. He also makes $50 million a year. I make $700,000 on my WNBA check. You should compare me more to Quentin Grimes. You know, we average around, you know, eight to 10 points. … My 3-point shooting is actually better than both of them. And so if we’re going to compare, let’s compare.”

Grimes had no part in Hanlen’s setup, and his sudden spot in the conversation drew a laugh from one fan, who called it a “Random Quentin Grimes stray.”

As for the paychecks, Cunningham signed a one-year, $665,000 deal with the Fever for 2026, up from the $100,000 she made in 2025. Dončić is earning $49.5 million this season under a three-year, $165 million extension.

In scoring, Cunningham and Grimes are a tenth of a point apart, with Cunningham averaging 7.9 points in 2026 and Grimes at 8.0 for the Lakers this season.

Another hoops fan kept the spotlight on the Lakers guard, writing “Quentin Grimes in the mud.”

Grimes was not the only part of the answer that drew a reaction, as one fan was puzzled and wrote: “I’ve never seen her in her bag like this, what are we talkin’ about here smh.”

Another fan reacted with plain disbelief, remarking, “This has to be fake.”

The 3-point claim at the end of her answer drew its own skepticism, as one fan posted, “Not watching the clip but she said she shoots better than Luka and QG? C’mon man, what we doin’.”

However, Cunningham’s claim does hold up against the current shooting percentages. She converted 41.9% of her 3-point attempts during the 2026 WNBA season, compared with Dončić’s 40.8% and Grimes’ 24.2% through the current season.

Though the Fever star’s hot take continues to stir up debate, Cunningham’s and Dončić’s roles are far apart.

Cunningham started just three of her 43 games in 2026, averaged 22.2 minutes a game, and finished fourth on the Fever in scoring, with Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and Aliyah Boston leading Indiana’s offense.

Dončić, meanwhile, is playing 35.9 minutes a night and averaging 38.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.6 assists for a Lakers team that sits first in the Western Conference at 11-2.

On the same episode, while talking about her looks from deep, Cunningham pointed to how often the ball reaches her. “I don’t have the ball enough to know if I’m going to get one 3-point shot or if I’m going to get 10 of them.”

Whether she gets more of the ball will not be clear until the next WNBA season, with her future in Indiana up in the air.