One of the biggest controversies in the 2026 WNBA playoffs was the officiating confusion between Breanna Stewart and WNBA referee Kevin Fahy in Game 2 against the Atlanta Dream, and over a week later, the WNBA Commissioner has offered no clarification. The call could have turned the tide in the New York Liberty’s favor. But the team ended the game with the Liberty still having a reset timer, and Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham presented a strong opinion on what Cathy Engelbert should have done.
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In the latest episode of her No Hesitation podcast with Drew Hanlen, Sophie Cunningham addressed the lack of respect shown to the players who put everything on the line when they enter the court. The Liberty lost Game 2, putting the series score at 2-0, a deficit no WNBA team has ever recovered from in a semifinal series. Cunningham offered a blunt reaction to the league’s response on the matter.
“We’re all still confused. What the hell happened there? You need someone at the head of the snake to set the tone, to set the standard, to respect our league. Not having any response, or not even coming out and saying, ‘Hey, we hear you, we see you, this is getting taken care of.’ What are we doing? That’s just disrespectful.”
She went on to specifically address the WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert’s role in the matter, while also acknowledging that the league was in a state of flux.
“I know we’re in the process of finding a new commissioner, but how is this not being taken care of in a quick manner?” Cunningham added. “Why does no one know what actually is going on or what happened with the situation and the reset timeout and Stewie and the coach and Kevin?… Our commissioner should be up on a freaking podium like, ‘Hey, we saw this, we see you, we hear you. These are the proper steps that are going to be taken, and you guys will have an answer tomorrow.’”
The confusing situation Sophie Cunningham is talking about came in the final minutes of the 101-98 Dream victory in Game 2 of the Dream-Liberty semifinal series. As Angel Reese stepped up to make her two free throws in the dying minutes of overtime, Liberty floor general Breanna Stewart can be heard asking Fahy if they had a reset timeout remaining. Fahy reportedly consulted with crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, relaying to Stewart that they did not have a reset timeout.
But this is where the narratives diverge. In the post-game interview, Stewart emphasized that Fahy told her that the Liberty did not have a reset timeout remaining. But according to the pool report by the WNBA, Cissoko-Stephens directly contradicted Stewart’s POV.
“Stewart was standing behind referee Fahy when he confirmed with his partner between Reese’s penalty free throws that New York did indeed have a reset timeout remaining.”
A reset timeout, according to WNBA rules, is “A stoppage of play requested by a team that allows it to advance the ball and make substitutions but not huddle. Each team is entitled to one Reset in the final two minutes of the fourth period and one in the final two minutes of any overtime period.”
Calling the reset timeout would give the Liberty the chance to start the next play from the half-court mark. But instead, they were forced to inbound the ball awkwardly to Stewart, who attempted a desperate three-pointer. It missed, handing Atlanta the win as time ran out. This one call may have cost the Liberty the entire season, as they went on to lose Game 3 as well, and the Atlanta Dream swept them in a 3-0 series.
While Sophie Cunningham is correct about the WNBA Commissioner not addressing the issue, a league official did, in fact, offer a statement about the officiating confusion before Game 3 began, per The NY Times.
“It is clear on video and audio that Breanna Stewart asked Referee Kevin Fahy about the reset timeout,” the statement read. “At that moment, there were multiple overlapping conversations and non-verbal exchanges between the referees, game participants, and also Stewart with Liberty bench personnel, which led to a misunderstanding amongst the various parties. Our referees can certainly handle these interactions better and have been given that feedback.”
While this is not the response Sophie Cunningham had hoped for, it’s better than nothing. It doesn’t offer Liberty a chance at redemption, but at the very least it acknowledges the miscommunication. The Dream moved on to the Finals, where they will face the Golden State Valkyries after they swept the Las Vegas Aces in a 3-0 series.