Sophie Cunningham has never had a problem saying what she thinks about WNBA officiating. She has said plenty over the years, including comments last season that cost her a $1,500 fine. So when she flips the script and defends the referees, it is worth paying attention.
On her ‘Show Me Something’ podcast, the Indiana Fever guard came out in clear support of WNBA officiating in 2026, calling for fans and players to see the bigger picture behind all the whistles.
“I hope people quote me on this,” she said. “I think that is a good thing that they are calling everything because it is making us players and teams be like, okay, we need to stop fouling or we need to be better.”
“Right now I know it’s annoying and it kind of sucks maybe as fans because you’re there longer. As players, it kind of sucks because when they’re blowing the whistle every single time down the court, it’s hard to get into a rhythm or a flow. Let playoff basketball, towards the end of the season, be a little bit more physical,” she said. “But I think last year was just so physical and too much from the jump.”
Teams are averaging around 22 foul calls per game in 2026, a sharp jump from 17.5 per team per game last season. That shift is not accidental. During the offseason, the league assembled a task force to address physicality after a 2025 season that saw multiple players miss significant time with injuries. Coaches Cheryl Reeve and Stephanie White helped lead those conversations, and the result was a directive to enforce existing rules on freedom of movement more consistently from the opening tip.
Cunningham knows that cost firsthand. An MCL injury in 2025 sidelined her, part of a stretch where the Fever also lost Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson to physical play. The memory of last season informs her stance now. Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama, who watched the task force work from the outside, echoed the sentiment.
“I do really feel like the league’s doing some good things to work together collaboratively to figure this out,” he said. Coming from someone who had no seat at the table during the offseason meetings, that endorsement carried weight.
Sophie Cunningham’s Praise Lands Differently After Last Season’s Injury Toll
Rickea Jackson tore her ACL earlier this season in a collision that renewed the same conversation the league spent all offseason trying to resolve. Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud responded by pointing directly at the referees, saying their job is to “control and protect the players” and that they had “failed to do so” on the play that hurt Jackson.
Tighter officiating early in the season is uncomfortable, but the alternative was already on display in 2025. Indiana Fever forward Monique Billings, now in her first year with the team, framed the new standard as a challenge players can meet. “You have to be more disciplined,” she said. “Having that in mind, knowing that you just have to be a lot sharper, just more on point.” That aligns cleanly with what Sophie Cunningham is saying from a player’s perspective.
She is shooting 30.4% from three this season after finishing at 43.2% a year ago. Her shot will come back around. What will not change is Sophie Cunningham’s willingness to say something unpopular when she believes it. In a season where officiating criticism is constant and loud, a Fever guard who has been fined for referee comments going on record to defend those same referees is notable.
