Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever saw their 2026 WNBA Playoff run come to an end on Thursday night, falling to A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces 2-1 after a 94-83 Game 3 loss. Now, the Fever will turn to the offseason in hopes of improving their roster, with Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell among the players becoming free agents.
While the Aces won the series 2-1, the most talked-about moment came in Game 2. With just over four minutes remaining, Cunningham attempted to defend Wilson before the four-time MVP knocked the Fever guard to the floor. Wilson was called for the foul on the play. Moments later, a fan behind the basket began pointing at Wilson, prompting the Aces star to approach the stands and exchange words with the Indiana fan.
Wilson was eventually assessed a technical foul after the exchange, while the Fever fan was removed from his seat by security before later being allowed to return.
Jesse Johnson - Imagn Images
While Wilson received a technical foul, she did not receive a fine from the WNBA, which is the usual consequence for picking up a tech. And the league can suspend players for deliberately entering the stands, which Wilson came close to. But still, the WNBA elected not to hand out a suspension.
In a recent episode of Cunningham’s podcast, “No Hesitation,” the Fever guard addressed the incident between Wilson and the Indiana fan, ultimately calling out the WNBA for not suspending the Aces star, comparing her to Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James.
“That could have called for a suspension,” Cunningham said. “But she’s like the LeBron James of our league, so of course they’re not going to suspend her. I’m not even going to get into that. Something should have happened there. The two people who came off the bench onto the court, that should’ve happened. And so I think there’s definitely a double standard…
“But I think, for someone pointing and saying that the foul was on you, like, grow up.”
While Cunningham and the Fever have headed home, Wilson and the Aces have moved on to the semifinals, where they will face the Golden State Valkyries.
