Brittney Griner may be playing the worst ball of her career, but nothing’s pulled a stop on her fiery edge. Sure, she isn’t the Baylor Bear who once punched an opponent anymore, but if she disagrees with a whistle, she is calling it. This time, though, the Dream Center has a few fans on her side.

It all unfolded when Griner was tossed early in the second half of Wednesday’s game at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The altercation began when Griner was battling for a rebound with Haley Jones and was called for a foul.

While she seemed to quickly acknowledge the call—going as far as patting Jones on the back and helping her regain balance—Griner’s frustration boiled over. She confronted the referee who made the call, which earned her a technical foul. Moments later, she followed the same official and made contact while continuing to argue, leading to an automatic second technical and an ejection.

And that was how Griner left the Rhyne Howard-less Dream in a less-than-desirable situation. Following her ejection, Arike Ogunbowale sank two free throws—just enough to push the Wings ahead, 45-44, with 9:02 left in the third quarter.

Though the lead was short-lived, the Dream responded with a comeback of their own. They reclaimed the lead and never looked back, battling until they secured a close 88-85 victory—a tie broken by Niz Hillmon with 2.3 seconds left. The Dream now move up 16-11, all thanks to the starters—except one—all of whom scored in double digits, while Hillmon led the way with 21 points.

And of course, we all know who was left with just four points, two techs, four rebounds, and a single assist. Yes, it’s BG. So, when fans found out how one incident could’ve cost the Dream the game, they couldn’t help but weigh in!

A fair call or ref overreach?

While Griner’s ejection didn’t go unnoticed, it did spark a familiar debate, dividing WNBA fans like two sides of a coin. “The second T was so unnecessary, it wasn’t even BG that made contact,” penned a user on X. Before Jones had jumped in for the rebound, it was Griner who almost had her hand on the possession. So before things escalated, fans cannot let go of the claim that, it was the Wings guard who made first contact.

“Brittney Griner getting double tech for what should’ve been an offensive foul on her is hilarious,” another argued. Things haven’t been going too well for the 10x All-Star, and this was hardly the outcome to add on top. Griner, after a slow start adapting to the Dream’s system, was starting to return to form. Just consider, she dropped 17 points with eight rebounds in her return to the Mercury and posted a season-high 22 points against Minnesota. There’s a chance she could have built on the momentum, and the frustration of missing that seems to have spilled over from the fans.

“Gave the ref exactly what she deserved… How’s BG supposed to score with one arm because the Dallas player has her other arm… she is the worst, man. Call the damn foul. NO EXCUSES,” read a comment. Well, this isn’t the first time fans or players have called out officials for questionable calls. From Angel Reese to Kelsey Plum, many stars have voiced frustration. Or look at Sophie Cunningham’s viral TikTok, where she lip-synced a video mocking WNBA officiating, though she later got fined $500 for it.

But not everyone was against the officiating.

“Good call, Candice,” said another. And their stance isn’t baseless, especially if you look at Griner’s history with physical play. Remember last year against the Sparks? The game was tied 14-all after one quarter before L.A. surged ahead. Then, after Celeste Taylor made a free throw, cutting the lead to 43-36, Griner and Jackson tangled up, exchanged words and shoves, and were ready for more until others intervened. After a review, both were ejected.

So yes, Griner has a history of in-game antics. “No bs she too big to be getting crazy with the refs, the coaching staff needs to talk to her,” another user commented.

And her physicality isn’t new because, back in college, Baylor’s dunking freshman was battling for position when Texas Tech’s Barncastle spun around and sent Griner lunging. A foul was called, but Griner retaliated—taking two steps forward before throwing a roundhouse punch. A scrum broke out, and she was ejected.

Griner was suspended one game by NCAA rules and another by Kim Mulkey, who said, “I am very disappointed in the incident which happened during our basketball game last night at Texas Tech. I don’t believe this incident should define Brittney Griner—either as a person or as a player. Anyone who has been around her knows that she’s a great kid.” Griner later issued an apology to players, coaches, and fans for the incident. Still, her physical nature has followed her through every level of the game. So now the question remains: was it Griner’s fault or the refs’?