Sophie Cunningham recently fired back at a fan regarding the controversial foul discussions surrounding her interactions with Paige Bueckers during the 2025 WNBA season. As the primary defender for the Indiana Fever, Cunningham faced off against Bueckers when the Fever played the Dallas Wings four times throughout the season.
In three of those matchups, Bueckers managed to exceed her impressive average of 19.2 points per game. Notably, she scored 27 points in a game that saw the Wings fall to the Fever on June 27, followed by 21 points in another loss to Indiana on July 13, and 22 points in yet another defeat on August 1.
Interestingly, the only occasion when Bueckers failed to meet her scoring average was during a tight game on August 12, which the Wings won 81-80. In that matchup, she recorded just 16 points, shooting poorly at 31.5% from the field and missing all four attempts from beyond the arc.
Despite Bueckers’ less-than-stellar performance in that game, Cunningham expressed her frustration about the officiating, which she articulated in a subsequent episode of her "Show Me Something" podcast on August 13. "I love Paige; don’t get me wrong, she’s an amazing player, and I would actually love to team up with her one day. But the refs were blowing every single whistle in her favor last night. It felt like you couldn’t even touch her, and that inconsistency is incredibly frustrating for me. If they’re going to call it that way, they should do the same for our guards too," Cunningham said candidly.
Cunningham’s feelings towards a fan's comments about Bueckers took a playful turn when she shared a TikTok video on January 15. The clip featured a moment where she and teammate Chloe Bibby successfully stole the ball from Bueckers, leading to a layup by Cunningham. There was noticeable physical contact during the play, and Bueckers appeared to grimace as she hit the floor, clearly feeling that a foul should have been called.
A TikTok user named @eastonnapier11 echoed this sentiment by posting a screenshot capturing the contact between Cunningham and Bueckers, commenting, "Kinda looks like a foul." To this, Cunningham humorously retorted, "I’ll show you what a foul REALLY is."
While it seems Cunningham was joking, her defensive approach against Bueckers could be a sensitive topic for the talented player. Looking ahead, there's a possibility that Cunningham will join Bueckers on the Wings in 2026 as she approaches free agency, although it's more likely she will return to Indiana, gearing up to face Bueckers again later this year.
