WNBA Fines Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham Third Time Over Paige Bueckers Comments

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has been fined three times by the WNBA in August, most recently for comments she made criticizing referees for allegedly giving Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers favorable calls during a game. Cunningham expressed frustration on her podcast about the perceived double standard in officiating, stating that Bueckers received nearly every whistle and that such treatment was unfair to her own team’s guards. Despite Cunningham's insistence that her remarks were not negative toward Bueckers herself, the league penalized her again, adding to prior fines for a TikTok video mocking officials and for criticizing officiating inconsistencies on her podcast. Cunningham is currently sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering a torn MCL in a recent game against the Connecticut Sun. Bueckers has downplayed the controversy, stating that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Cunningham's outspoken stance on officiating has made her one of the most controversial figures in the league this season.