Sophie Cunningham’s sister isn’t happy with the WNBA’s referees, and she’s letting them have it.
Her comments came after Indiana Fever’s Cunningham suffered a knee injury during the Aug. 18 game against the Connecticut Sun.
Cunningham’s sister, Lindsey Cunningham, is Mizzou’s assistant director of development.
Sophie Cunningham’s Sister Slammed the League’s ‘Poor Officiating’ After the Injury
Lindsey Cunningham was critical of the league’s officiating in a post on X that has racked up 1.2 million views.
“WNBA, maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more about hiring officials that are able to call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic. Praying for you, Sophie.”
.@WNBA maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more about hiring officials that are able to call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic. Praying for you .@sophaller 🙏🏼❤️
— Lindsey Cunningham (@Lbreezzyy) August 17, 2025
Other people in the comment thread agreed with Lindsey Cunningham.
“This! That was not a basketball play, she dove forward into Soph,” alleged one man.
“Praying for Sophie. The WNBA protects their chosen players while letting everyone on the Fever get mauled, then fining Sophie for speaking the truth,” alleged a fan.
A Viral Video Shows the Moment That Sophie Cunningham Was Injured
A viral video captures the play.
this is the play where sophie got injured https://t.co/hLjcNxn4Q0 pic.twitter.com/Btbq6PkLPu
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) August 17, 2025
According to CBS News, Cunningham, who is scheduled to have an MRI to assess the injury, was injured by Sun guard Bria Hartley, who “fell down and crashed into Cunningham’s right leg.”
USA Today described the injury by writing that Sophie Cunningham “was run into by Bria Hartley, who crashed into Cunningham’s legs.”
According to USA Today, Cunningham’s mom slammed Hartley in a deleted social media post, calling her a “disgruntled player.”
The WNBA’s officiating has been a point of controversy for some time, with much of it revolving around Caitlin Clark.
According to the New York Post, Cunningham was fined by the league for criticizing officiating during podcast episodes.
The Post reported that Hartley was “ejected from the Sun’s previous game and had been involved in an incident where she pulled Angel Reese’s hair.”
Related: Caitlin Clark Admits Hard Truth Amid Frustrating Injury Situation
