The WNBA and its players are contending over pay, while Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham is contending with her own money-related issue with the league after she was fined $500. As for the reason she got fined, she uploaded a video on TikTok hitting back at referees for either being “stupid,” “slow” or “useless” to a Sabrina Carpenter song titled “Manchild.”
The Caitlin Clark teammate then posted the video again, this time on X, soon after getting that $500. This time, she hit back in her caption and said that the WNBA has other issues it needs to contend with instead of going after her for a TikTok video she made.
“I got fined $500 for this TikTok 🤣🤣 idk why this is funny to me… like ok 👍🏼 you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now,” Sophie Cunningham tweeted.
I got fined $500 for this TikTok 🤣🤣 idk why this is funny to me… like ok 👍🏼 you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now pic.twitter.com/ELAlguHhMQ
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) July 23, 2025
The WNBA reportedly saw that video as insulting towards the league, hence the $500 fine. However, her reposting the video on X showed that she was not backing down from what she meant.
Cunningham has been complaining about the referees all season long, with her getting a previous $400 fine after stating that the officials were not looking out for her nor Caitlin Clark during a game against the Connecticut Sun. She was caught up in a brawl during that game and was ejected.
As for her blasting the league to focus more on the negotiations with the WNBA’s players association, Cunningham has been a vocal supporter of the movement for pay parity and advocating for better salaries for women.
Sophie Cunningham and Indiana Fever Struggle Without Caitlin Clark
Meanwhile, with Caitlin Clark out again with another injury for the season, Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever have been struggling. This was shown in another loss against the New York Liberty ahead of the All-Star break.
The Liberty, led by Sabrina Ionescu, defeated the Fever 98-84, and this was without Caitlin Clark who missed the game, as well as the All-Star Game due to an injured right groin. Cunningham had 15 points, as did All-Star Aaliyah Boston in the game. However, it was Kelsey Mitchell who was the spark for Indiana with 29 points for the Fever.
Indiana is now 12-12 and currently sits at seventh in the standings.
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