Sophie Cunningham has managed to pull off a very unusual kind of hat trick—though not one she’ll be bragging about on the court. The Indiana Fever guard revealed on her podcast this week that the WNBA has fined her after each of the first three episodes of the show since it launched earlier this summer.
“I’m officially three-for-three on being fined by the WNBA,” Cunningham admitted to her co-host, West Wilson, during the latest episode. Wilson, clearly caught off guard, pressed her on whether the punishment had to do with things she said on air.
According to Cunningham, that was exactly the case. She explained that her most recent fine stemmed from remarks about Dallas Wings rookie sensation Paige Bueckers. “They didn’t like my comment on Paige Bueckers…I didn’t even say anything bad,” Cunningham said, insisting her words were taken the wrong way.
The comments in question were made on the August 13 episode, which followed a Fever-Wings matchup the night before. Cunningham was frustrated with the officiating, claiming that referees seemed to be giving Bueckers—who was the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick—every possible call. “I love Paige to death, don’t get me wrong,” Cunningham said at the time. “I think she’s a hell of a player and would love to play with her one day, but those refs were giving her every frickin’ whistle last night. Like you literally couldn’t touch her. That’s just so annoying to me.”
This wasn’t an isolated incident either. Cunningham has developed something of a reputation for speaking out against WNBA officiating, and the league has responded by repeatedly hitting her with fines. Prior to the Bueckers remarks, Cunningham was penalized $500 for a TikTok she posted that appeared to mock officials. In the clip, she lip-synched to lyrics from Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Manchild,” a move the league apparently didn’t find very amusing.
With three straight episodes resulting in three straight fines, Cunningham has made it clear she’s not shying away from saying what’s on her mind—even if it comes with a price tag.
