Sophie Cunningham Shows Talk Ain't Cheap Amid WNBA Fine Over Paige Bueckers Take
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s earnest knack for being a straight shooter has helped garner her a loyal fanbase––and while keeping it 100 is part of Cunningham's charm, it can sometimes land her in hot water.
In an August 13 episode of her podcast Show Me Something, Cunningham was recanting the loss the Fever sustained the day before when her team faced off against the Dallas Wings to co-host West Wilson––and in classic Cunningham fashion, she didn’t mince words.
"I love Paige [Bueckers] to death, do not get me wrong ... 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 whistle last night," she told Wilson.
"Like you literally couldn’t touch her, couldn’t touch her," Cunningham added. "If you’re going to do that, then give it to our guards."
Sophie got fined again lmfao
— correlation (@nosyone4) August 20, 2025
“I’m officially 3 for 3 on being fined by the WNBA. They didn’t like my comments on Paige Bueckers.” pic.twitter.com/GnZcHu3uWP
The remark did not go unnoticed by the WNBA. And on Tuesday’s episode of her show, the topic resurfaced, prompting Cunningham to update Wilson on the action the league took, “I’m officially three-for-three on being fined by the WNBA.”
Wilson replied in disbelief asking, “Again??”
“They didn’t like my comments on Paige Bueckers,” Cunningham explained, laughing. “I didn’t even say anything bad.”
Sophie Cunningham Gets Hit With a Fine by WNBA For Comments About Officiating
As Wilson alluded to, this was not the first time Cunningham was fined for comments she’d made on the show. She was fined $1500 after the debut episode of the podcast, which was released July 30 for remarks surrounding the officiating in the WNBA.
sophie got fined $1500 for ref comments on ep 1 lmfaoooo
— correlation (@nosyone4) August 5, 2025
“they email our gm and she pulls me aside…and she just smiled and goes hey they’re gonna fine you again. i even told them i credited them that their job was hard! i did say that and i said that i would not be good at it.” pic.twitter.com/fEVq4kIJws
But no, those were not the only times Cunningham was disciplined by the league.
In late July, Cunningham was fined $500, only this time from a TikTik video in which––unsurprisingly––she criticized the league's referees, captioned, "@ some refs."
Sophie Cunningham reveals that she was fined $500 by the WNBA for this TikTok 😳
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 23, 2025
pic.twitter.com/CFyoIudO7O
Bueckers was asked to comment on Cunningham’s remarks about the Wings rookies’ special whistle in a pregame interview August 15, and she plainly said, “Everyone is entitled to their own unique, personal opinion.”
Paige Bueckers on Sophie Cunningham’s comments about the referees giving her foul calls last game: “Everyone is entitled to their own unique personal opinion.”
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) August 15, 2025
While it comes as no surprise that Cunningham does have her share of issues with the officiaing in the W, there doesn’t seem to be bad blood between Bueckers and Cunningham. As for the referees of the league and Cunningham, the same can’t confidently be said about them.
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Rosalina Lee is one of the premiere content creators in the women’s basketball space. She has written for such companies as Red Bull Sports and has teamed up with notable brands such as Madison Square Garden, going behind the scenes with the New York Knicks and Rangers. She is currently offering analysis and fresh takes into the world of women’s basketball on her YouTube channel, and now with Indiana Fever On SI and Women's Fastbreak On SI, keeping fans in the loop with all the latest action!
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