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Fever’s Sophie Cunningham Claps Back at WNBA After Getting Fined for TikTok Video

Cunningham had taken a shot at WNBA officials in her TikTok video.

Kristen Wong

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham celebrates after making a three-pointer against the Minnesota Lynx in the second half during the Commissioner's Cup final at Target Center.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham celebrates after making a three-pointer against the Minnesota Lynx in the second half during the Commissioner's Cup final at Target Center. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
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Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has ruffled some more feathers in the WNBA.

Cunningham revealed on social media this week that she was fined $500 after posting a TikTok video on her account in which she criticized WNBA officials. In the video, Cunningham sang along to Sabrina Carpenter's newly released single, "Manchild."

"Stupid," the pop song goes. "Or is it... slow? Maybe it's... useless?" Cunningham wrote, "@ some refs" while performing the song.

That stunt cost Cunningham half a grand, as she revealed on X (formerly known as Twitter). In a fiery on-brand reaction, Cunningham clapped back at the league for fining her when there were "more important things" to be concerned about in the W.

"I got fined $500 for this TikTok," Cunningham wrote. "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."

Cunningham has already been fined twice this season in her first campaign with the Fever. She received her two fines for her Flagrant 2 foul that led to an end-of-game scrum during the Fever's win over the Connecticut Sun last month.

Cunningham has also notably spoken up amid the WNBA players association's ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the league. "You can just tell [WNBA commissioner] Cathy [Engelbert] to pay us, and then we can have discussions," she said during the Fever's practice media availability over the weekend.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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