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Sophie Cunningham’s Interaction with Indiana Fever Coach Draws Attention
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- Sophie Cunningham’s Interaction with Indiana Fever Coach Draws Attention
The Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces are engaged in an intense WNBA semifinal series. The Aces lead 2-1 heading into Sunday's Game 4 in Indianapolis.
The Fever dropped Game 3 at home on Friday 84-72, leaving them one loss away from elimination in the best-of-five series.
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A major storyline of the Fever's 2025 season has been injuries, highlighted by the six players on the injury report heading into Game 4 against Las Vegas .
Five have season-ending injuries, including star guards Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark . The group has remained spirited and engaged, calling themselves the " bench mob ."
Cunningham found herself under the microscope after the Game 3 loss when a viral video showed an interaction she had on the bench with Indiana assistant coach Briann January.
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At the end of the clip, fans noticed Cunningham waving away January, a beloved former Fever player who has been linked to open WNBA coaching positions this week.
The assistant coach was trying to keep Cunningham and Clark seated while they asked for a replay review for a hard foul by Aces forward NaLyssa Smith on Fever star Kelsey Mitchell with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White talks with guard Sophie Cunningham (8) from the sideline as they take on the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden.
"The asst coach telling them to chill and they're being dismissive???" said one of the top comments on the original post on TikTok.
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"The coaches have to take time and focus away from the team on the court to tell them to act right," pointed out another TikTok comment.
"It's the simple fact that her coaching staff are trying to help her," a fan replied to the same video on X.
Per WNBA rules , players can be given technical fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct from the bench. It happened to their Fever teammate Lexie Hull this season.
Other X users said Cunningham showed " no decorum " and called the gesture " disrespectful " to her assistant coach, who won a WNBA championship with Indiana in 2012.
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Before her injury, Cunningham averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game this season and shot 43.2% from 3.
The "bench mob" will be back in the spotlight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 4, which tips off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be televised on ABC.
Related: Sophie Cunningham Shows Off Daring Outfit for Fever-Aces Playoff Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
