Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever is making waves in the WNBA once again. This week, Cunningham announced on social media that she faced a $500 fine for uploading a TikTok video in which she took aim at WNBA referees. In the clip, she lip-synced to Sabrina Carpenter’s newly dropped song, “Manchild.”
Cunningham included “@ some refs” in her performance, which ended up costing her a hefty sum, as she shared on X (formerly known as Twitter). In a spirited and characteristic response, she criticized the league for imposing a fine when there are “more important things” to address within the WNBA. She wrote:
“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.”
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
So far this season, Cunningham has been penalized twice during her rookie year with the Fever, first receiving fines due to a Flagrant 2 foul that resulted in a scuffle at the end of a game against the Connecticut Sun last month.
She has also been vocal during the WNBA players association’s continuing negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement with the league. During a media session after practice with the Fever over the weekend, she stated:
