Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has been fined by the WNBA for a TikTok video that criticized the league’s officiating

Sophie Cunningham (left) says she’s been fined after posting a TikTok criticizing WNBA referees(Image: Steph Chambers, Getty Images)

Sophie Cunningham’s continuing battle with WNBA officials has taken another turn after the Indiana Fever player was penalized for a TikTok post that criticized the league’s refereeing.During All-Star Weekend activities – which saw decreased viewership without Caitlin Clark’s presence – Cunningham took a not-so-subtle swipe at the WNBA on social media. The cheeky post appears to have gotten Cunningham into trouble, as the guard disclosed she was hit with a substantial fine for the brief video.”I got fined $500 for this TikTok,” Cunningham posted on X. “Idk why this is funny to me… like ok you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now.”

An hour afterward, Cunningham shared a comment stating: “The endless WNBA war on the people who are bringing attention to their product while protecting the behavior that turns people off NEVER ceases to amazed me.”

This isn’t the first occasion that Cunningham – who recently confessed to consuming “too much tequila” during the All-Star break – has faced discipline from the WNBA this season. After the Fever’s 88-71 victory over the Connecticut Sun last month, she received two fines for a flagrant foul on Jacy Sheldon that sparked a major altercation involving several players from both squads.

Cunningham has consistently been vocal about her genuine opinions regarding the WNBA’s officiating standards. During Indiana’s recent clash with Connecticut, Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa landed a blatant elbow on Cunningham’s head, sending her crashing to the floor.

Despite Cunningham’s pleas for a call, the refs let the game play on without issuing a foul.

Cunningham took to social media, posting a video of the moment with the caption: “They said I flopped. el oh el.”

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Fever head coach Stephanie White addressed the issue in a postgame presser, acknowledging that WNBA refs seem to permit a tougher style of play against her squad, especially when it comes to Clark.

“There’s a level of physicality that they’re able to play with against her,” she noted. “I knew it as an opponent, and I see it as her coach.

“I’m not exactly sure why, but it just is what it is, and we’ve got to help her learn to adjust and use it against them in certain ways. You know, we’ve got to find some ways to make it a little bit easier for her, but the level of physicality overall in our league has been at a different level than it’s been for a long time.”

Meanwhile, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert assured fans and players alike that the league is committed to enhancing game officiating. “We hear the concerns, we take that input, and every play is reviewed, we spend hours and hours on hours,” she stated before the All-Star Weekend.

“Obviously, we then use that to follow up with officials training.

“Obviously, consistency is important … I realize consistency is the name of the game, so I think it’s something we definitely look at and evaluate.”