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Sophie Cunningham has sparked backlash after criticizing Angel Reese for her physical play during the Atlanta Dream's WNBA semifinal series against the New York Liberty as fans quickly pointed to her own controversial history, particularly a notorious takedown of Jacy Sheldon in 2025.
The Indiana Fever guard addressed Reese's confrontation with Sabrina Ionescu ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, arguing the Dream forward should have received a technical foul for chasing down her opponent and getting in her face in a Game 3 incident vs. the Liberty.
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“I appreciate her having her teammate’s back,” Cunningham said on the No Hesitation podcast. “I think that just shows that she care and that she has love for her teammates. Here’s my thing, if you’re going to chase someone down the court and get in someone’s ear, that should be a tech, any time.”
Cunningham argued that officials would have penalized the behavior during the regular season and questioned why Reese escaped punishment in the playoffs. She then went further, accusing the Atlanta star of dangerous contact during games.
“Angel is going to play hard. But you can’t tackle someone in the air and go for someone’s knees and ankles,” Cunningham said as the comments quickly drew criticism from Reese's supporters, who questioned whether she was applying the same standards to herself that she expected from others.
One fan wrote on X: “The call is coming from inside of the house. When has Angel ever tackled someone…let alone in the air??”
Whilst a second said, “She has nothing else going for herself but rage bait and bold face lying at this point.”
Caitlin Clark (R) and Sophie Cunningham (L)LAPRESSE
Sophie Cunningham's Jacy Sheldon takedown returns to haunt her
Another referenced Cunningham's confrontation with Sheldon, and it’s true that the Fever player’s own history of physical confrontations has become central to the criticism as in June 2025, she was ejected after taking down the Connecticut Sun player.
The incident followed an earlier flashpoint in which Sheldon accidentally poked Caitlin Clark in the eye during defensive contact. Then with the Fever comfortably ahead in the final minute, Cunningham intervened as her rival drove toward the basket.
Wrapping her up and bringing her to the floor, officials assessed Cunningham a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected her whilst Sheldon and Connecticut guard Lindsay Allen were also ejected after the confrontation escalated.
The incident raised questions about whether Cunningham was protecting Clark or retaliating against Sheldon as she defended her actions by arguing that Indiana needed to protect its star, while critics viewed the takedown as excessive and potentially dangerous.
The WNBA issued Cunningham an additional fine, but no suspension and the episode nevertheless strengthened her reputation as Clark's self-appointed “enforcer,” a label embraced by some Fever supporters and criticized by others.