The Indiana Fever were eliminated in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces, but Sophie Cunningham continued following the postseason action and controversies.
One of the biggest controversies came in overtime of the New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream's Game 2. After the Dream's Angel Reese hit two free throws to put her team ahead 101-98, the Liberty had an unused reset timeout that would've allowed them to advance the ball to the frontcourt without huddling.
Liberty star Breanna Stewart said she asked referee Kevin Fahy whether or not her team had a reset timeout but was told they didn't. That forced the team to quickly inbound the ball and heave a prayer shot at the buzzer to try to tie it. Liberty coach Kevin DeMarco said he was informed the same thing.
After that loss, New York went on to get swept 3-0, sending the Atlanta Dream to the WNBA Finals.
The controversy continued after the game, as crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephen indicated in the post-game report that there wasn't any communication between the referees and Liberty regarding their reset timeout. After the Liberty asked the WNBA to look into the matter, the league investigated and released a statement acknowledging a "misunderstanding" and that the referees could've handled the situation better.
On a new episode of the "No Hesitation" podcast, the Fever's Cunningham slammed the WNBA over its poor overall officiating and particularly called out the Liberty-Dream fiasco.
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Acknowledging that her comments about the Liberty's reset timeout situation might get her in trouble, Cunningham sounded off on the WNBA's handling of the situation.
"I know we're in the process of finding a new commissioner, but how is this not being taken care of in a quick manner. Like how does no one know what is going on or what happened with the situation and the reset timeout and Stewie and the coach and Kevin?" Cunningham asked.
"That should be talked about. Our commissioner should be up on a podium saying, 'Listen, we saw this. We see you. We hear you. These are the proper steps that are gonna be taken and you guys will have an answer tomorrow,'" she said. "Like, why is no one ... We're all still confused? Like, what the hell happened there? I know I'm confused."
Cunningham also suggested that the WNBA referee situation might be vastly improved by increasing their salaries.
"I will always have their backs ... They don't get paid enough. If we paid them more, their level of investment would be a lot higher. Hopefully, that means their skill level will be higher," she said in part of her rant.
It's clear that the WNBA officiating needs to change, and that may become one of the major issues for a new commissioner of the league. Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA commissioner since 2019, announced she was retiring in December, leaving the door open for someone new to step in.
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