WNBA Punishes Teammate Who Came to Caitlin Clark’s Defense
The WNBA has imposed fines on players Marina Mabrey and Sophie Cunningham for their involvement in altercations during a game between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun. Both players received flagrant 2 fouls; a designation that incurs fines and counts towards a player’s behavior points, with five points leading too a suspension. The incidents began with a conflict involving Caitlin Clark, who was pushed to the ground by Mabrey after an altercation arose from Clark being poked in the eye by a Sun player. Although initially not ejected, mabrey’s actions were later reviewed and deemed worthy of punishment. Cunningham was fined for engaging in retaliatory behavior against Sun player Jacy Sheldon. A petition has emerged online calling for Cunningham’s removal from the league, but she seemed unfazed, even posting a TikTok video soon after the incident that could be interpreted as mocking the situation.
The WNBA has slapped fines on two players who were involved in scuffles during Tuesday’s game between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun.
Marina Mabrey of the Sun and Sophie Cunningham of the Fever both had their fouls called as flagrant 2 fouls, according to the Indianapolis Star.
A flagrant 2 carries a fine and counts for two points under the WNBA’s system of assessing behavior infractions. In the WNBA, a player with five points is suspended for a game.
Another angle of Caitlin Clark getting bodychecked after being poked in the eye.
The WNBA didn’t eject either of the women who assaulted her for this play.
Neither was fined, suspended, or banned.
The eye-poker was ejected in a later play.
The WNBA isn’t a serious league. pic.twitter.com/Ld8Bl0SxjS
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) June 19, 2025
Mabrey knocked Caitlin Clark to the floor after a scuffle that began when Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye, leading Clark to get in her face. Pushing and shoving began until Mabrey knocked Clark down.
At the time, she was assessed a technical foul.
After the game, officiating crew chief Ashley Gloss said, “[T]he contact made by Mabrey did not rise to the level of an ejection. Additionally, [it] did not meet the criteria for a flagrant foul penalty two.”
But an additional review changed that ruling.
Cunningham was also punished for an incident that took place with 46 seconds left in a Fever rout of the Sun. In what was widely interpreted as payback for knocking down Clark, Cunningham grabbed Sheldon’s head as the Sun player was going for a layup, then pulled her hair in the fight that broke out afterward.
Cunningham was called for a flagrant 2 and ejected on Tuesday.
Finally a teammate got Caitlin Clark’s back after the assault she’s taken tonight. Sophie Cunningham you are a G. #wnba pic.twitter.com/YABrJPsMO1
— Matthew Barnett (@MatthewBarnett) June 18, 2025
The league added an extra fine to Cunningham when it punished Mabrey.
Cunningham has also been targeted with an online petition at Change.org calling for her to be booted from the league.
However, repentance does not appear to be forthcoming.
As noted by Athlon Sports, days after the incident Cunningham d a TikTok video in which she lip-synced to Selena Gomez’s “Hands to Myself.”
The song includes the line, “Can’t keep my hands to myself, I mean I could but why would I want to?”
“It’s a joke… the sound was too fitting! Happy game day,” Cunningham wrote.
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