Sophie Cunningham’s WNBA Ref Rant Sparks 10-Word Locker Room Reaction From Caitlin Clark & Co.

“Just the competitor I am, I’m fierce, I’m sassy,” Sophie Cunningham warned us before she suited up for the Indiana Fever. And well, she hasn’t let down. Be it taking on the enforcer role for the team or calling out the refs, the 6′ 1″ guard is being the unfiltered queen. The best showcase of it? Singing along to a Sabrina Carpenter song, where the lyrics read, “Stupid! Or is it… slow? Maybe it’s… useless?” and the caption tagged the WNBA refs. Looks like that was just the start of it.

Last week, Sophie Cunningham did what she does best: grabbed the internet by the horns. This time, it wasn’t for a viral moment on the court. Nope. She launched a podcast. Show Me Something. Co-host? Her longtime friend and Bravo’s Summer House star, West Wilson. “It’s unfiltered and that’s something everyone wants to hear about,” she promised. And guess what? She delivered. No filter. No holding back. No bars hold… quite literally. Just Sophie being Sophie.

It wasn’t just the fans who were shocked when she launched her podcast; her teammates were equally scared. Why wouldn’t they? This is Sophie Cunningham we’re talking about — the same player who doesn’t blink before barking at refs or jumping in for her teammates. Remember the Jacy Sheldon–Caitlin Clark scuffle? So when she dropped the first episode, what did she do? Went at the officials again!

And those comments earned her a fine of $1500! In the second episode of Show Me Something, which dropped last night, she spilled the tea on how her teammates reacted to it. ” Because I know like I’m not kidding. Everyone in my locker room, they’re like, ‘Oh god, like what is she going to say next?’ So what exactly did she say in the first episode?

“If I was a ref, I know I would mess up all the time. Like, I’m not saying that your job is easy, but when it is a simple call right in front of your face multiple times, what are you doing? What are you doing? … They’re just so inconsistent like that’s one thing. If you’re on the other team, and you’re going to be fouling the —- out of me, cool. But let me do it to you… I think players across the league, and new fans across the country, are like, What is going on with the refs? And I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’ And you fining me $500 is not going to do —-,” she said.

Jul 1, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) celebrates with Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson (51) after defeating the Minnesota Lynx during the Commissioner’s Cup final at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

A lot has been said about the WNBA officiating lately. A recent report by Maria Lawson of ESPN showed that foul calls are slightly up this season. Teams are now averaging 18.7 fouls per game, the most since 2017. And one team that’s been right in the middle of it all is the Indiana Fever. They’ve had more than a few questionable calls. Remember that moment when Caitlin Clark quite literally blocked an official’s path after Lexie Hull got called for a foul she clearly didn’t commit against the Aces?

The Fever have had a bunch go against them. But it’s not just this team. Angel Reese, for one, expressed, “We know we can compete with the best, but [the officiating] has to be fixed,” last month. In fact, the noise has been so loud, Cathy Engelbert had to step in to assure that the league was going to address the issue. “We hear the concerns, we take that input. Every play is reviewed… there’s an independent evaluation of officials, there are ramifications. It’s something we need to continue to work on,” she admitted.

That said, Cunningham also revealed exactly how she found out about, getting fined for speaking against the officials for the second time this season. Let’s take a look!

Sophie Cunningham reveals conversation with Indiana GM after getting fined again

Cunningham’s co-host West Wilson was wondering how exactly players find out when they are getting fined by the organization during the second episode of the podcast. That’s when the Fever guard revealed what exactly goes on behind the scenes.

“They email our GM and she pulls me aside and says, ‘Sophie, I’ve got to talk to you,’ and this is front of everybody. I’m like, ‘What did I do now?’ And just smiled and she goes, ‘Hey, they’re going to fine you again.’ I was like, I even told them I credited them that their job was hard. I did say that. I said that I would not be good at it. I did say that. Like, look at the whole picture. What are we doing? Ugh. But yeah, so I got fined for that,” she said.

From Stephanie White to Napheesa Collier and Julie Allemand, the dissatisfaction has been evident. The latter even went so far to say she felt more “protected” playing in EuroBasket. So it was about time Engelbert stepped up to vow on improving the officiating. Unfortunate for Sophie to have two fines to her name this year, but the commissioner’s words suggest a step in the right direction.

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