A referee call on Sophia Cunningham in the first quarter of the Indiana Fever’s opening playoff game against the Las Vegas Aces faced the wrath of fans. The Fever fanbase has already slammed referees on multiple occasions during the regular season, and a Chelsea Gray play on Sunday gave them another reason to do so.
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The Fever vs. Aces game caught intensity from the tip-off, as the score remained close in the first quarter. Just when the Indiana Fever had taken a 16-14 lead with around 3:30 left in the quarter, a Flagrant-1 was called on Cunningham, who attempted to block a mid-range shot from Gray, leaving fans livid on social media.
Cunningham closed in to defend the shot and was immediately called for a foul, as Gray went down to the floor after shooting. The officials then reviewed the footage to see whether Cunningham had stepped into Gray’s landing space, which can account for a Flagrant foul.
The replays showed that Gray’s leg made contact with Cunningham’s, and the Aces star’s foot landed on the latter’s foot, with the refs upgrading the foul to a Flagrant-1 and awarding Gray two free throws. Fans were evidently unhappy, and under ESPN’s video post on X about the incident, bluntly voiced their displeasure.
“The refs have no clue what a flagrant foul is!” wrote on fan. “This is a clown show to get her thrown out of the game for something unnecessary. Vegas doesn’t need the help of the refs to win.”
Many other fans criticized Gray for kicking her leg out after her shot and seemingly flopping to draw the foul.
“If you kick your legs out on your shot, you shouldn’t be rewarded for a landing violation. Your landing space should be vertical, not forward and outward,” wrote one fan.
“Complete BS,” wrote another. “Gray kicked her legs out and flopped on purpose. No foul should have been called let alone of flagrant 1. @wnba fix is in. Gray flopped on Lexie’s box out and a few more times. So many phantom fouls.”
Another fan made a claim about a seeming pattern, highlighting how many calls went in Aces star and four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson’s favor in the game.
“The wnba is nothing more than a wwe league they give aja every call and don’t call her for anything and it’s so obvious.”
The free throw disparity was considerable in the first three quarters. While the Fever had shot eight free throws, A’ja Wilson and the Aces had 15, and Chelsea Gray had shot seven of them alone.
“Alright, new strategy for second half Fever girls, just start kicking your legs out on all your shots and draw the heck out of some flagrant 1’s!” wrote another fan, criticizing Gray.
The call might have been controversial, but it could have gone in either direction. Ultimately, the Aces had a blowout 102-85 win over the Fever, with A’ja Wilson scoring a game-high 38 points.