Cunningham fined for criticizing officiating
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has been fined $500 for a TikTok post criticizing the league’s referees, she wrote on X.
The original TikTok featured Cunningham lip-synching to song lyrics, saying, “Stupid. Or is it, slow? Or maybe, useless?” with the words “@ some refs” on the video.
The TikTok was posted on July 18 and has since garnered 1.3 million views.
“I got fined $500 for this TikTok,” Cunningham tweeted on Wednesday, with laughing face emojis. “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.”
A few hours after her post, Cunningham helped the Fever rise to 13-12 with 15 points, and Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points, Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston had double-doubles in an 80-70 over the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night.
Caitlin Clark remains sidelined with a groin injury, and the Fever said Thursday there was no timetable for her return, though no further injuries were discovered during medical tests this week.
Howard finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Boston had 13 points and 10 boards.
A’ja Wilson, who averaged 31.7 points in the Aces’ three-game winning streak, led Las Vegas (12-12) with 20 points. Jackie Young scored 19 and NaLyssa Smith had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Officiating has become a contentious issue in the league this season, with many players and coaches criticizing referees for inconsistent calls. Some of the most high-profile instances have surrounded calls involving Indiana star Clark.
“Everybody’s getting better—except the officials,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said last month. “So we got to find a way to remedy it. I mean, you’ve heard every coach talk about it, so I don’t know what the answer is.”
Cunningham has been in the headlines recently for appearing to be Clark’s protector. She was ejected after a physical altercation with Connecticut’s Jacy Sheldon last month following a scuffle between Sheldon and Clark earlier in the game. Sheldon was also ejected.
