Sophie Cunningham Risks Another Fine After Blasting Refs Over Paige Bueckers Favoritism

Sophie Cunningham and her Indiana Fever lost to Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings in a close game at Indianapolis.

Sophie Cunningham Risks Another Fine After Blasting Refs Over Paige Bueckers Favoritism

Sophie Cunningham calls out officiating favoritism towards Paige Bueckers (Image via FirstSportz)

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Sophie Cunningham is not one to shy away from saying anything. Be it on the court against other players or officials, or off the court when she is speaking on her podcast.

One instance of the latter cost her $1500 in fines after she criticized the officiating in one of their games. The 28-year-old did clarify that she understood that officiating is not an easy job, but that did not save her from the WNBA’s wrath.

In their last game against the Dallas Wings, Cunningham was frustrated with foul calls going against her and her Indiana Fever teammates. Later, when she shot the latest episode of her ‘Show me Something‘ podcast, she said:

I love Paige to death… But those refs were giving her every freaking whistle last night like you literally couldn’t touch her. That is so annoying to me. And if you’re gonna do that, then give it to our guards. I just hate the inconsistency.

Sophie Cunningham said

The Missouri standout revealed it was all too evident that Paige Bueckers was receiving foul calls when replays clearly showed it was not the case. Fans on social media have been pointing this out for quite a while, and Cunningham becomes the first player to talk about it.

Officiating in the WNBA has been a controversial matter over the past few seasons, and the heightened publicity is making it all too apparent. The Fever guard saying this out loud and pinpointing something that suggests the referees are biased towards the rookie might cause some controversy.

Sophie Cunningham believes Paige Bueckers is on GOAT trajectory

Sophie Cunningham will likely be fined for these claims. She knows that, but still does not shy away from speaking her mind. While talking about the officiating, the 28-year-old also gave Paige Bueckers her flowers.

Paige Bueckers and her Wings teammates against the Fever
Paige Bueckers and her Wings teammates against the Fever (Image via Open Source/X)

We know she is a good rookie, and she is going to get some whistles. But to get the treatment she got last night was crazy. She’s already going to be a GOAT. She’s going to be a Hall of Famer. Everyone knows she is a freaking hell of a player. Getting some of those whistles already, oh my, I couldn’t.

Sophie Cunningham said

By saying this, the Fever star is implying that favorable whistles are way too early. Usually, such favoritism is reserved for the veteran superstars. Bueckers being a rookie is ahead of her curve.

Cunningham knows that the UConn star is already one of the better young players in the league. It should not be long before she overtakes everyone as the best, and that is why she believes the rookie is on a GOAT trajectory.

Paige Bueckers is not a lock for Rookie of the Year

Sophie Cunningham is teammates with the reigning Rookie of the Year. That crown will soon be on another rookie’s head. As the No. 1 overall pick and being touted as a generational player, Paige Bueckers was the early-season favorite.

Many felt this draft class was no match for her talent, hence she would be a unanimous winner. But of late, the performances from Washington Mystics star Sonia Citron have many believing it is not so straightforward.

Paige still leads rookies in every major category and remains the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Sonia is like, ‘Listen, everybody had you as the preseason rookie of the year favorite, Paige.’ But the last 6 games, she (Citron) is putting it up for debate.

Candace Parker said

The 3-time champion and her co-host of Post Moves, Aliyah Boston, agreed that it seemed Paige Bueckers would run away with the ROTY award. But Citron’s performances since taking over as the leading star of the Washington Mystics has thrown the conversation into the wind.

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