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The fines keep coming for Sophie Cunningham as she continues to speak out about WNBA officiating.
The Indiana Fever guard said on her podcast Show Me Something, released Tuesday, that she has received a third fine from the WNBA following her comments on the officiating around Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers from a previous podcast episode.
“I’m officially 3-for-3 on being fined by the WNBA,” Cunningham said. “They didn’t like my comments on Paige Bueckers.”
Cunningham’s comments on WNBA officiating came during an episode of her podcast released last Wednesday, the day after Bueckers and the Wings beat the Fever in Indiana.
“I love Paige to death … but those refs were giving her every freaking whistle last night. You literally couldn’t touch her. That shit is so annoying to me. And if you’re going to do that, give it to our guards. I just hate the inconsistency,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham, who is out for the remainder of the season following a torn MCL sustained Sunday, did not reveal the cost of her third fine. She previously said that she was fined $500 for criticizing refs on a TikTok in mid-July, then penalized an additional $1,500 for comments made during the first episode of her podcast.
The six-year WNBA veteran previously predicted she would continue to receive fines, but she said the low figures were not going to dissuade her from making comments.
“You fining me $500 is not going to do shit. … And then I’ll get fined for that, and then I’ll get fined for this, and the fines will continue,” Cunningham said during her podcast’s inaugural episode in July.
The WNBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at the All-Star Game in July that the league continues to work on its officiating.
“We hear the concerns. We take that input. Every play is reviewed. Spend hours and hours and hours. Obviously, we use that then to follow up with officials, training,” Engelbert said.
Cunningham is on a one-year deal worth $100,000—though she is likely making a lot through her opportunities off the court, including her podcast. Front Office Sports broke the news that Cunningham signed a deal with Colin Cowherd’s digital media company, The Volume, to launch her podcast.
She has also received several endorsement deals from brands like Ring and Arby’s, and she is one of the 10 most-followed WNBA players on Instagram.
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