Sophie Cunningham seemingly has misfortunes with the Connecticut Sun, as she got involved in another heated moment, but this time, it’s the Suns’ guard, Olivia Nelson-Ododa. The former Phoenix Mercury fell to the floor at one moment during the game after being elbowed by Nelson-Ododa.
While some of the fans backed up Cunningham, previously recalling her moments with the Sun just weeks ago, some claimed it was “flopping”. The referees, after all, didn’t foul the Indiana Fever veteran or Ododa.
However, Fever superfan Dave Portnoy didn’t buy into the accusations over Sophie Cunningham’s fall. In his X/Twitter account, the Barstool Sports founder blamed the WNBA again for the alleged poor officiating.
“Imagine not calling this, not reviewing this and then telling Sophie she flopped. Sick league @WNBA,” Portnoy tweeted.
Imagine not calling this, not reviewing this and then telling Sophie she flopped. Sick league @WNBA pic.twitter.com/FGMvkbDFT7
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 16, 2025
Bold claim from Portnoy, but this is exactly what the sentiments have been revolving around for most of the season. Not only fans but also players complained about the poor refereeing surrounding the league. However, users also connected the said issue to the racial remarks, allegedly targeting or disregarding white players like Sophie Cunningham.
“They called Sophie for stepping out of bounds on this play. No foul on getting bodied. League is an embarrassment,” one commented.
“I only watch clips of the @WNBA to see assaults, horrible officiating and racist players,” one added.
“This is what the WNBA wants done to Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark. This is basketball not UFC. These people running the league are sick fucks,” one tweeted, adding an AI photo of both players in a war.
“I can’t watch the garbage of the wnba. They are their own worst enemy and don’t deserve to be successful,” one remarked.
Sophie Cunningham reacts to alleged “flopping” vs Connecticut
Even Sophie Cunningham was furious with the fans’ allegations of her flopping during the game. She clapped back by reposting an X/Twitter clip showing a closer look at her being elbowed by Ododa, captioning it with:
“they said I flopped. el oh el.”
they said I flopped. el oh el. https://t.co/EV3W5LKkRK
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) July 16, 2025
However, some fans still aren’t convinced, arguing that Ododa’s act was completely unintentional and Cunningham’s fall was heavily exaggerated.
And this wasn’t the first time Sophie Cunningham got involved in a controversy with the Sun. Last June 18, the former Missouri Tiger dragged Jacy Sheldon down after getting into a fight with Caitlin Clark early in the game. Cunningham was soon ejected, and after the game, she explained that she did it to protect and avenge her teammate, Clark.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
