Sophie Cunningham Drops 4-Word Message to WNBA After Caitlin Clark’s $200 Fine

From comments like “Elite bench mob” and “Refs couldn’t stop us”, Caitlin Clark showed that she wasn’t willing to hold back in her criticism of the officials in the aftermath of round 1. Each contest featured no fewer than 36 fouls, with Game 1 alone piling up 43 whistles. No matter what, the league did not take Clark’s comments well, and she received a $200 fine. Fortunately, the Fever star’s teammate was willing to back her with a sarcastic quip.

Sophie Cunningham recently took to her official X account to share a tweet with her 272,000 followers. She retweeted Cailtin Clark’s X tweet, in which CC highlighted her previous comments and wrote that “Got fined $200 for this lol😂😂😂😂😂BENCH MOB WILL BE EVEN MORE ROWDY TOMORROW LETS GOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! @IndianaFever”.

Adding her own words, Cunningham said, “That’s gonna really break the bank for her. starting a GoFundMe now!”. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cailtin Clark’s current net worth is listed as $10 million. While she was paid $78,066 in the second year of her WNBA contract, she earns millions in endorsement deals with around a dozen companies.

Clark earned $3.1 million in NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals in college. In 2024, she signed an 8-year, $28 million deal with Nike that pays her $3.5 million per year. Her multiyear endorsement deal with renowned sporting goods maker Wilson also includes a signature basketball collection, making her the only other athlete to have one after Michael Jordan.

Therefore, Clark is well-positioned to pay off the fine.

Also, this fine is not going to stop the duo from speaking up and supporting their teammates on the court. In the first quarter of Game 2, Clark and Cunningham made a demonstrative gesture toward the officials, protesting that a Dream player should have been called for traveling. Later in the game, when Atlanta was actually whistled for a travel, Clark playfully repeated the gesture. This protest extended even after the game, as Clark’s tweets were proof. Unfortunately, the same got her in trouble.

From the looks of it, Sophie Cunningham might get herself in trouble, too. After all, Clark’s fine did not stop Cunningham from further laying out criticism against the league.

Sophie Cunningham Claims WNBA Is “So Mad”

As Basketball reporter Abdullah Imran highlighted, the Indiana Fever “stunned everyone” with their win. In fact, all nine ESPN writers had predicted the Dream to advance to the semifinals. Sophie Cunningham discussed the win during a recent appearance on her ‘Show Me Something’ podcast. At the same time, however, she didn’t hold back in taking a shot against the league.

“The league is so mad that we won, because we are literally not supposed to be here at all,” said Cunningham. “And that just fuels our fire even more.” Sophie Cunningham’s words captured the defiance and hope that the Fever have carried through ever since the team’s troubles started.

After all, no one besides their fans had faith in the team. Those doubts stemmed from the fact that the team had been missing several key players and had to use the hardship waiver just to fill their roster. Still, Cunningham admitted that, despite the nerves, she never doubted the outcome, stating that “I just knew deep down in my gut that we were gonna win, like somehow we were gonna win.” Win, they did.

It’s still unclear whether the WNBA will issue another fine for Cunningham’s comments. What is certain, though, is that both Clark and Cunningham are promising to bring the same energy. On her podcast, Cunningham also explained, “I’m there just to kind of talk some s— to the refs, talk some s— to the other team, really pour into my teammates for real. Like I want them to be confident because that’s when everyone’s at their best, and it’s just more fun.“

The Indiana Fever are set to face the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, the same team that racked up a 16-game winning streak during the regular season. With both Clark and Cunningham absent from the roster, it remains to be seen how far the Fever can go against such formidable competition.