Sophie Cunningham Criticizes WNBA Officiating on Angel Reese's Play

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has expressed strong disapproval of the WNBA's officiating, particularly regarding plays involving Angel Reese during the Chicago Dream's playoff victory over the New York Liberty.

Cunningham, whose season concluded following the Fever's elimination, focused on several instances during Game 3 of the semifinals that she believes highlight a lack of consistency in the league's calls. A key point of contention for Cunningham was a confrontation between Reese and New York star Sabrina Ionescu. After a hard foul on Chicago's Isobel Borlase, Reese ran towards Ionescu, who was near mid-court, to confront her. Cunningham was particularly irked that Reese did not receive a technical foul for this interaction.

"If you're going to chase someone down the court and get in someone's ear, that should be a tech, any time," Cunningham stated on her podcast, 'No Hesitation Show.' "It's going to be a tech in the regular season. Any other playoff games, that's a technical foul. You can't do that."

Cunningham acknowledged Reese's dedication to supporting her teammates but argued that the confrontation crossed a line. "Now if she were to stay on her side and kind of just yell and say something, I'm all for that. But the fact that she didn't get a tech on that I think that is absolutely insane."

Later in the game, both Reese and New York's Jonquel Jones received technical fouls for jawing at each other. Cunningham, however, characterized these as "soft-a** double techs," suggesting that the officials were inconsistent in their application of the rules throughout the game and the series.

Cunningham elaborated on her perspective, saying, "I think that's good playoff basketball. Let them talk a little s*** to each other. It's just so weird and inconsistent, of course this is what I go back to, of how the refs call it."

She believes that officials should allow for more physical play and less penalty for minor altercations, stating, "If you're not going to call someone chasing someone down and on the court and talking s*** to them and then if someone gets a block … and Angel sticks her ground too don't call a tech. Let them play goodhearted basketball."

Reese, a prominent player in her third season, was named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2026 and earned her third All-Star selection. The WNBA Finals are scheduled to begin between the Dream and the Golden State Valkyries.