Sophie Cunningham called out Angel Reese’s physicality during the WNBA playoffs, saying some of Reese’s contact around opponents’ knees and ankles crossed a line. The Indiana Fever guard raised the issue on her “No Hesitation” podcast while breaking down Game 3 of the Atlanta Dream’s semifinal series against the New York Liberty.
Cunningham’s comments on Angel Reese dangerous plays centered on two specific sequences from the Dream’s 85-83 win Friday at Barclays Center, a victory that followed Game 3 on Thursday. She argued the plays should have drawn fouls or technicals and said the officiating around Reese has been inconsistent all season.
The Main Development
Cunningham pointed to a moment when Reese jumped toward Breanna Stewart as if contesting a shot after a foul had already been called on Rhyne Howard. Stewart ended up on the ground, and no foul was called on Reese. Cunningham also described a fourth-quarter sequence in which Reese dove for a loose ball after a timeout had already been called and made contact with the legs of Marine Fauthoux, again with no whistle.
“You can’t tackle someone in the air and then go for someone’s knees and ankles. That’s a dangerous play,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham was careful to separate her criticism of the plays from any shot at Reese’s character. She said Reese’s willingness to defend her teammates reflects well on her, even as she questioned the plays themselves. “Angel, I appreciate her having her teammate’s back. I think that just shows that she care and that she has love for her teammates,” Cunningham said.
What It Means
None of the incidents Cunningham flagged resulted in a foul call against Reese in real time, and the sources do not indicate the WNBA has opened any review or taken disciplinary action over the plays. Cunningham’s remarks are her own assessment of the officiating and Reese’s physical style, not a report of league findings.
Cunningham also revisited a separate moment from Game 3 in which Reese chased down Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and chirped in her face after Ionescu picked up a hard offensive foul on Dream guard Isobel Borlase. Cunningham said that sequence should have been an automatic technical. “If you’re going to chase someone down the court and get in someone’s ear, that should be a tech, any time.
It’s going to be a tech in the regular season. Any other playoff games, that’s a technical foul. You can’t do that,” she said, adding that no call came on the play was “absolutely insane.”
Context
Reese did draw a whistle later in the same game, picking up a double technical foul alongside Liberty center Jonquel Jones after Jones blocked one of Reese’s drives out of bounds. Cunningham used that sequence to question why some of Reese’s contact draws calls and other instances do not. “It’s just so weird and inconsistent, of course this is what I go back to, of how the refs call it,” she said.
Cunningham drew a personal comparison, noting she picked up a technical foul for pointing her finger during Indiana’s 86-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury on June 22. She framed that as an example of the inconsistency she sees across officiating crews this season.
Scrutiny of Reese’s physical style is not new. An anonymous WNBA general manager told ESPN’s Katie Barnes in March 2024 that Reese had shown moments considered disrespectful to the game, warning that the reputation could affect her standing around the league.
What’s Next
The sources do not include any response from Reese or the Dream to Cunningham’s comments, and there is no indication the WNBA has weighed in on the specific plays. Cunningham’s own season with the Fever is also drawing attention amid questions about her free agency, a topic covered in Sophie Cunningham’s Fever future coverage from Total Apex Sports. For more on the physical toll of this WNBA season, see the report on Aliyah Boston’s knee surgery.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
