“I even credited them that their job was hard… I did say that… so, yeah, I got fined for that.”
Sophie Cunningham is no stranger to fines these days. In Episode 2 of her new podcast Show Me Something, co-hosted with West Wilson, the Fever guard revealed she was fined yet again. This time, $1,500 by the WNBA for criticizing officiating in the show’s debut episode. It’s her third fine in just about a month’s time.
sophie got fined $1500 for ref comments on ep 1 lmfaoooo
— correlation (@nosyone4) August 5, 2025
“they email our gm and she pulls me aside…and she just smiled and goes hey they’re gonna fine you again. i even told them i credited them that their job was hard! i did say that and i said that i would not be good at it.” pic.twitter.com/fEVq4kIJws
In Episode 1, Cunningham kept it candid. She acknowledged that reffing isn’t an easy feat: “If I was a ref, I know I would mess up all the time… I’m not saying that your job is easy.” But she didn’t hold back on what she sees as a bigger issue, “…but when it’s a simple call right in front of your face multiple times, what are you doing?... They’re so inconsistent.”
As Sophie shared in Episode 2 of the podcast, “What happens is [the WNBA] emails our GM and she pulls me aside... and she just smiled and goes 'Hey, they’re gonna fine you again.'’” And they did. This latest fine brings her running tab to nearly $2,500, stemming from a summer full of headline moments.
Sophie Cunningham's Growing Tab
She first received a $400 fine and ejection after a flagrant foul during her viral altercation with the Connecticut Sun, while defending teammate Caitlin Clark. Then came a $500 fine for a TikTok where she lip-synced to Sabrina Carpenter, implying that refs are “useless.”
Now, it’s the podcast comments calling out officiating inconsistency that have drawn her a $1,500 fine. In just over a month, that’s $2,400 in penalties, making her one of the most heavily fined players this season.
Sophie Cunningham's flagrant foul Tuesday earned her a $400 fine—and $1 million worth of new social media followers.
— ✏️Jacob Feldman (@JacobFeldman4) June 20, 2025
I spoke to her agents about 'unprecedented growth' for @Sportico: https://t.co/CbYVyu2vqi pic.twitter.com/6QK36KuefP
But the league’s biggest fine for Sophie so far seems to have only added fuel to her fire. Cunningham laughed it off in Episode 2, saying "I am kind of thinking that the W has started to have some beef with my comments, but I also have to say that more than 95% of the population who watches WNBA, agrees with me."
And frankly, she can afford it. Cunningham may earn around $100K in WNBA salary this season, but her recent surge in popularity, sparked by her unapologetic play, viral moments, and defense of Caitlin Clark, has reportedly catapulted her total brand value past $1 million. She’s inked deals with Ring Security, Arby’s, and others as her social following and online engagement have exploded. So no, I don’t think a $1,500 fine will silence Sophie Cunningham anytime soon.