Lexie Hull could not believe the whistle blown against her. With Paige Bueckers bringing the ball up in the second quarter of the Indiana Fever-Dallas Wings game, Hull had some contact with Alysha Clark midcourt. It was called as a foul but Hull argued with the referees. After being dissatisfied with the referee’s reply, Hull waved him off, resulting in a technical. Now, her mom has revealed her reaction to Lexie Hull’s rub with the referees.

Indiana Fever fans love their passionate group of players. From Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham to Lexie Hull, everyone has their intensity. And the Fever squad was infamous for arguments with the referees. “Refs couldn’t stop us,” Clark wrote after that Game 2 win against Atlanta after the ‘bench mob’ caused chaos from the sidelines. Now, the Fever have kicked off their 2026 tally with this technical from Lexie Hull. 

“One game in and we have our first addition to this year’s Fever Tech Team trophy case. Welcome, Queen Lexie Hull!” Wrote a fan. Hull’s mother, Jaime noticed this on her timeline and pushed back, arguing that it was Hull’s 1st technical and it should not be held against her. “It is the first tech of the year for the Fever and @lexiehulll’s first tech of her entire basketball career!!  🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️” she wrote. To which the fan corrected her, writing that Hull had received one in 2025, but from the bench. 

To which Jaime wrote, “lol.. I stand corrected. I don’t count that.  😅 This is the first time I have ever seen her act that way towards a ref. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️. Now she gets to pay 💰 for it.  😬😬”

Hull is set to pay $500 in fines after the league increased the amount in the latest CBA.

Players are fined $500 for each of their first three technical fouls and the amount doubles to $1,000 for technicals 4–7. At eight technical fouls, a player receives a $1,500 fine plus a one-game suspension. An additional one-game suspension comes with every two technical fouls after that (10, 12, 14, etc.). Indiana racked up 12 technical fouls last season, though the penalties climbed even higher because of comments regarding officiating.

Largely because of the off-court comments from Clark and Cunningham. Clark was fined $200 for that comment on the referees. Last August, Cunningham revealed the WNBA fined her $1,500 over additional comments she made about WNBA refs during the debut episode of her podcast. “I’ve been fined a lot, but not more than last year. This podcast has really done some damage,” Cunningham recently joked. 

Hull, on the other hand, has largely been quiet when it comes to referees and their calls, but she did comment on the fines for the players. “We’re getting fined for saying things,” she said in her Glamour Interview. “Are [the referees] getting fined for making the wrong call?” This conflict between the players and the referees will continue. 

And arguably, it’s good for the health of the league as they rework the refereeing standards. Hull’s technical also came amid growing league-wide discussion about the WNBA’s tighter officiating standards. 

Lexie Hull Praises WNBA Officiating Amid Breanna Stewart’s Referee Criticism

Breanna Stewart was not happy with referees allowing lesser contact, resulting in more foul calls. “It disrupts everyone’s flow, not just my team, both sides of the game. This game was 2 hours and 41 minutes long. That’s insane,” Stewart said after the Mystics game. “It’s going to take time figuring out the standard of what’s going to be called, but there are calls being made that are unnecessary on both sides, and then there’s no flow.” 

The foul counts have risen, with only five teams fouling less than 20 times per game. However, according to Lexie Hull, this change is good for the league. 

“I think the whole point of that is to protect us, allow us to play longer, allow us to play a season without getting injured, and protect the game,” Hull said. “It’s more fun to watch when there aren’t as many foul calls, so I think it’s going to be better for the game. It’s going to take us a few games. There were a ton of foul calls, and I think it’s going to take the league some time to figure that out and get accustomed to it. At the end of the day, I think it’s good for the league.”

This 180-degree change has been a difficult one for the entire league. But this is what multiple players and coaches had called for. The league is pressing on the freedom of movement and moving towards a more NBA-style rulebook.

It has already increased the scoring, with the opening weekend having the historically highest output in the first two days of the league with 87.4 points per game.