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Sophie Cunningham Rips WNBA For Officating Controversy In Dream-Liberty Series

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has publicly criticized the WNBA for what she calls a baffling officiating error during the Liberty-Dream playoff series. The controversy stems from Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals, where New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart claimed referee Kevin Fahy incorrectly told her the team had no reset timeout left in overtime’s final seconds.

With 4.3 seconds remaining and the Liberty trailing by three, Stewart said she was informed no timeout was available—despite the team still having one—and the Liberty inbounded from deep, missing a potential game-tying three. Atlanta won 101–98, taking a 2–0 series lead, after the shot fell short.

Officials later contradicted Stewart’s account, saying she was never told the timeout was exhausted, and the WNBA’s scorer’s table—not the referees—tracks timeout usage. Cunningham, a close friend of Stewart’s, expressed frustration on her podcast, calling the situation ‘unacceptable’ and questioning how a star player could be misled about a fundamental rule during a high-stakes moment.

The incident has also sparked debate over whether teams or officials bear responsibility for timeout management, with Liberty coach Chris DeMarco acknowledging his staff should have pressed harder for clarity.

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