Sophie Cunningham is calling out an early trend associated with star WNBA rookie Paige Bueckers \u2014 and it\u2019s one she cannot believe has already started.<\/p>\n
Following the Fever\u2019s narrow 81-80 loss to the Wings on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Fever guard Cunningham took to her \u201cShow Me Something\u201d podcast to call attention to what she saw as a favorable whistle for Bueckers, the Wings\u2019 guard and 2025 No. 1 pick who scored 16 points on the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love Paige to death,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cDo not get me wrong. I think she\u2019s a helluva player and would love to play with her one day. But those refs were giving her every freakin\u2019 whistle last night. Like, you literally couldn\u2019t touch her. That s\u2013t is so annoying to me. And if you\u2019re gonna do that, then give it to our guards. I just hate the inconsistency.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know she\u2019s a good rookie, and she\u2019s gonna get some whistles. But like, to get the treatment she got last night was crazy. Crazy. She\u2019s gonna be one of those players, she\u2019s already gonna be a GOAT, she\u2019s gonna be a Hall of Famer. Everyone knows it. She\u2019s a freakin\u2019 helluva player. But getting some of those whistles already? Oh my. I couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie on the refs last night <\/p>\n
\u201cI love Paige to death\u2026but those refs were giving her every freaking whistle last night like you literally couldn\u2019t touch her. That shit is so annoying to me. If you\u2019re gonna do that then give it to our guards. I just hate the inconsistency.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/V6JgKSvbbb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 correlation (@nosyone4) August 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Sophie Cunningham unloads on her podcast about what she saw as a favorable whistle to Paige Bueckers. X @nosyone4<\/p>\n While Bueckers only went to the free-throw line twice, sinking all four of her shots, she only shot 6-for-19 from the field and was drawing fouls from the Fever\u2019s backcourt.<\/p>\n Both Cunningham and Lexie Hull had four fouls each.<\/p>\n Across 26 games this season, Bueckers \u2014 the first-overall pick by Dallas in this year\u2019s WNBA draft \u2014 averages 4.2 free throw attempts per game and makes an average of 3.7 per contest.<\/p>\n The UConn alum has twice reached as high as eight attempts in a single game \u2014 once against the Sky on July 9 and the other against the Fever on Aug. 1.<\/p>\n Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever plays defense during the game against Paige Bueckers #5 of the Dallas Wings on August 1, 2025 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n Cunningham is known for openly saying her hot takes, especially her unfiltered thoughts on the refereeing in the WNBA. <\/p>\n The 2019 second-round pick out of Missouri was also fined $1,500 by the league over a criticism of the officials <\/a>made on the first episode of her podcast, which she admitted on the second episode on Aug. 5.<\/p>\n Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks to move the ball past Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n