Azzi Fudd was simply giving an honest answer when asked how she was adapting to the famously physical playstyle of the WNBA. As it turned out, that answer did not sit well with the league’s traditions around public criticism of officiating, and there was concern she might be fined for it.
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Speaking on Friday’s episode of her podcast, Fudd Around and Find Out, Fudd revisited the incident and revealed what came after her comments.
“No, I didn’t. I did not get fined,” Fudd said when guest Chris Brickley asked her about it. “It was a warning, though. I got a warning. I had no idea that I wasn’t allowed to say things. So now I know.”
The comments came after a preseason game against the Las Vegas Aces in May. Asked how she was adjusting to the league’s physicality, Fudd gave a candid and disarmingly direct answer about the officiating.
“Honestly, I’m more confused. I thought you could be physical in the W and anytime you touch someone, it’s a foul. So I’m not really sure whether to be physical, whether to. I don’t know. I’m still figuring that out,” she said.
Interestingly, even as Fudd was still speaking, her teammates Jessica Shepard and Aziaha James seemed to sense what was coming. Both laughed openly at the podium and joked that the rookie was about to “get hit with a fine.”
Her statement appeared to run against the WNBA’s strict regulation of public criticism of its referees. Offences of that kind usually give the league grounds to hand out hefty fines to players or coaches who speak out against officiating.
Fortunately, the league chose to be a little more lenient this time, issuing a formal warning instead. As the No. 1 pick herself put it, she simply did not know better. Perhaps being a rookie in one of her first interviews counted for something.
Players Who Have Been Fined for Criticizing WNBA Officiating
There have been quite a number of instances where WNBA players and coaches have been penalized for speaking out about officiating. One notable example is Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. In 2025, Cunningham posted a TikTok video lip-syncing to Sabrina Carpenter lyrics (“Stupid or is it slow? Maybe it’s useless?”) with on-screen text reading “@ some refs.” The league fined her $500.
Refusing to back down, Cunningham also went on her Show Me Something podcast shortly afterward to complain about the league’s officiating consistency and the fact that she had been penalized over a TikTok. And the WNBA immediately hit her with a second fine of $1,500 for doubling down.
Another example came during the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, when the Indiana Fever played an incredibly physical series against the Atlanta Dream. After the Fever clinched the series, Caitlin Clark posted a celebratory comment on Instagram: “The refs couldn’t stop us.” Even though it was a post-game social media caption rather than a formal press conference rant, the WNBA fined her $200. Clark later mocked the fine on X, writing: “Got fined $200 for this lol.”
Angel Reese has also been fined for comments aimed at officiating, and the penalties have even extended to coaches too. Most notably, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was hit with a historic $15,000 fine and a suspension for calling playoff referee assignments “f—ing malpractice.”
The pattern is consistent. The league treats public criticism of referees seriously, whether it comes in a press conference, a podcast, or a social media caption. Fudd’s warning suggests there is some room for leniency. But as the examples above show, it rarely extends past a first offense.