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WNBA Faces Backlash Over Controversial Sophie Cunningham Decision

Aug 5, 2025 3:22 PM EDT

The Indiana Fever are riding high, winning their last five games to improve to 17-12 heading into Tuesday night’s matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks.

However, during the second episode of Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s new podcast, “Show Me Something,” she revealed that she was fined $1,500 by the WNBA for comments she made about the referees in the debut episode last week.

“Well, the WNBA fined me,” Cunningham said. “Dude, they fined me $1,500. I’m like, what? This is just the beginning. They emailed our GM, who pulled me aside and just smiled and said, ‘Hey, they’re gonna fine you again.’ I even told them, I credited them that their job was hard… I did say that… so, yeah, I got fined for that.”

Fans React to Sophie Cunningham’s $1,500 Fine

“[Explicit] this league. Unbelievable. Please sign the petition to make a change to wnba officiating. We fans have the power and a voice. Let’s use it,” a fan said.

Someone else added, “This league is so [explicit] up.”

Another person wrote, “this league is [explicit] pathetic.”

“I hate the wnba so much at times! Sophie keep calling out their bs!!” Another said.

One more fan commented, “This league is not serious, man.”

This isn’t Cunningham’s first fine this season. Earlier in the year, she was fined $500 for comments about the referees, but she doesn’t seem concerned about the penalties.

Cunningham has quickly become one of the WNBA’s most popular figures since joining the Fever this offseason, thanks to her fiery play on the court and her vibrant personality off it.

She is coming off one of her best performances on Sunday, scoring a season-high 17 points in her seventh consecutive start while teammate Caitlin Clark remains sidelined with a groin injury.