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WNBA Officials Ripped by Fans, Announcers After Fever-Sun Brawl Leads to Ejections

Fans ripped WNBA officials after a tense Fever-Sun game led to multiple technical fouls, flagrant fouls and ejections.

Tim Capurso

A chippy game between the Fever and Sun quickly escalated into a brawl, putting the WNBA officials under the microscope.
A chippy game between the Fever and Sun quickly escalated into a brawl, putting the WNBA officials under the microscope. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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A chippy, competitive game between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun quickly escalated into something more in the Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday night.

What started as competitive trash talk between Fever star Caitlin Clark and Sun guard Jacy Sheldon turned into a scuffle in the third quarter, when three technical fouls and one flagrant foul were assessed after both Sheldon and Sun teammate Marina Mabrey made contact with Clark.

To the chagrin of the NBA TV broadcast and the fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Mabrey was not ejected from the game, but instead received a technical foul. The Fever and Sun then brawled late in the fourth quarter after a hard foul from Fever guard Sophie Cunningham on Sheldon.

Here's the hard foul, which earned Cunningham a flagrant 2 and an ejection, as well as ejections for Sheldon and Sun guard Lindsay Allen.

NBA TV color commentator Debbie Antonelli proceeded to rip the officials on the broadcast shortly after the brawl, believing the crew to be culpable for the fracas.

"I’m blaming this all on the officials tonight," Antonelli said on the broadcast. "It is totally their responsibility. It’s a hard foul. It’s a flagrant foul. And if they had taken care of business earlier we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. You can’t eject her, because you didn’t eject Mabrey. I’m exhausted with this game and the officiating. Players want consistency. Thankfully nobody got hurt."

And Antonelli wasn't the only one upset with the officiating crew.

Fans took to X and ripped the officials, specifically for their decision to allow Mabrey to remain in the game.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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