The game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky on August 8 was one of the most controversial of this WNBA season after everything that unfolded between Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington. But while most of the headlines were dominated by them, a fourth-quarter incident involving Natasha Cloud also led the veteran to face plenty of backlash. Four days later, the Sky guard has issued an apology.

With 7:14 left in the last quarter, Cloud was assessed a technical foul after the 34-year-old jumped from her bench to complain to the refs about an offensive foul on her teammate, Azura Stevens. And while it is one thing to disagree with a call, when moving back to the bench, Cloud made a gesture with her hand over her head to poke at referee Agon Abazi, who is bald. The clip of this incident was caught on camera and quickly went viral. But after a talk with her mother, Cloud now regrets her actions.

“Y’all, my Mama called my a– out & since I did it publicly, Imma apologize publicly to Agon,” Natasha Cloud wrote on Threads.

“My parents raised us to be kind, genuine, & respectful to everyone. I fell short of that during our Indy game after receiving a tech. & for that to Agon & his family, I am sorry. Accountability is huge rn for me and my growth, so shoutout to Mama Cloud for still challenging her 34-year-old to be better.”

While Cloud believes she fell short of the traits her parents instilled in her, her apology has left fans divided.

“This, THIS is what true accountability looks like. Carrington should take notes,” one fan wrote under a post shared by B/R W Sports on Instagram. While another added, “Need more moms like this!!”

However, unlike Cloud, DiJonai Carrington refused to apologize for her actions, later defending her hard foul against Cunningham, saying it was unintentional and that she went for the ball.

“I’m never gonna let an open layup just be had. You can pull clips from however many seasons of me making that same exact play. It was unfortunate that I made contact with her in the way that I did, but it was never intentional.”

Meanwhile, some fans didn’t focus on the apology and couldn’t help but laugh while recalling Cloud’s gesture during the game.

“This was so funny real time,” another fan wrote. While one further added, “Do we have to apologize to Mama Cloud for laughing at what you did? Like are we all in trouble orrr?”

Natasha Cloud has never been one to hide her feelings on the court, and that fiery personality is part of what makes her one of the most exciting players to watch.

So, while Maj Forsberg, another member of the official crew, explained that Cloud was assessed a tech because “her reactions in response to a call made against a teammate exceeded the respect of the game guidelines,” fans could not help but laugh at the incident.

“I dare her to do that to Satou Sabally,” one fan added.

For Cloud, this apology may have closed the chapter on an embarrassing moment. But with fans still bringing DiJonai Carrington into the conversation, the controversy surrounding that matchup clearly isn’t going away anytime soon.