SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM was grabbed by the neck during a loose ball tussle against the Los Angeles Sparks.
And fans have called out WNBA referees, who have been accused of not “calling fouls” against Indiana Fever.
The Fever star went to the ground to try to corral a loose ball during the first quarter of her team’s 89-87 loss to the Sparks.
Los Angeles’ Julie Vanloo was then seen pulling down Cunningham’s neck while underneath her, before the whistle blew.
But Cunningham and Vanloo were both all smiles after getting off the floor, as what could have been a heated moment instantly cooled off.
Despite the contact, no foul was called, and officials ruled it a jump ball at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Cunningham won the jump ball and was fouled by Vanloo five seconds later, sending her to the line for two free throws.
She made one, but Vanloo responded 11 seconds later by sinking a 23-foot three-pointer to give the Sparks a 21-20 lead.
But fans on social media were left shocked by the first incident.
One wrote on X: “They just don’t call fouls when people are on the ground.”
Another said: “The women’s game is getting out of control.”
A third added: “Why don’t WNBA refs call blatant fouls.”
Cunningham recently went viral for bringing down Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon by the neck in June.
Both players were ejected after an on-court melee, as Sheldon had outrageously fouled Caitlin Clark earlier in the game.
The Fever, who were once again without star-player Clark, had been riding a three-game winning streak.
Clark is down with a left groin injury, something that will be monitored on a day-to-day basis.
Meanwhile, after the game, the Sparks’ social media team decided to have some fun at Cunningham’s expense.
It comes after Cunningham questioned by the WNBA are expanding to the cities of Detroit and Cleveland before 2030.
Posting on X, the Sparks wrote: “List of cities Indiana has beef with: Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles.”
Cunningham had previously said: “I’m not so sure what the thought process is there. I think at the end of the day you’ve gotta think about expanding our league too fast.
“You don’t want teams who are going to dominate and then teams who aren’t.
” I think it’s a hard decision to make, but yeah, I don’t know how excited people are going to be about going to Detroit [or Cleveland].”
She was then forced to backtrack on her comments: “First of all, I know the history behind the WNBA.
“I know both of those cities had teams before and they got us where we’re at, so I’m thankful for that.”
The WNBA are also planning to expand to Philadelphia.
