Sophie Cunningham jokingly asks WNBA for refund after league admits officiating must improve
In a funny moment, she was actually kind of serious.
Sophie Cunningham jokingly asks WNBA for refund after league admits officiating must improve originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Sophie Cunningham has never been afraid to say exactly what she thinks.
That willingness to speak openly made her one of the most talked-about players in the WNBA last season, and also one of the most fined. Now, ahead of the 2026 opener, the Indiana Fever veteran is revisiting that tension with the league in a way only Cunningham really can. With the Fever preparing to open the season against the Dallas Wings and rookie star Paige Bueckers, Cunningham joked that the WNBA may actually owe her some money after league officials acknowledged officiating needed to improve entering the new season.
It was a funny moment, but it also captured why Cunningham became such a lightning rod around the league in 2025. Sophie Cunningham spent much of last season battling officials Cunningham’s first season in Indiana brought plenty of attention for her play, toughness and personality. But it also came with repeated clashes involving officiating.
The Fever guard was fined three separate times during the 2025 season. The first incident came during a heated June matchup against the Connecticut Sun when Cunningham received a Flagrant 2 foul and an ejection after an altercation involving Jacy Sheldon. The frustration did not stop there.