Sophie Cunningham Gets 17 Teeth Knocked Out… And Somehow Gets Called For The Foul [VIDEO]
Sophie Cunningham found herself at the center of another controversial WNBA moment after taking an elbow to the face, only for officials to call a foul against her.
The confusing sequence occurred during Sunday’s game between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx.
In a video that quickly spread across social media, Cunningham can be seen closely defending Lynx forward Nia Coffey near the perimeter. As Coffey pivots while holding the ball, her arm swings upward and her elbow makes direct contact with Cunningham’s face.
The Fever guard immediately pulls her head back and reacts to the painful collision.
However, instead of calling an offensive foul on Coffey or allowing play to continue, the officials assessed Cunningham with a defensive foul.
The decision left fans, commentators and even some of Cunningham’s newest supporters wondering how the referees reached that conclusion.
Dave Portnoy, who has recently become a vocal supporter of the Fever, was among those who reacted strongly to the call.
“Sophie just got 17 of her teeth knocked out and they called her for the foul,” Portnoy wrote on X. “Sick league @CathyEngelbert #wnba.”
Portnoy was obviously exaggerating. Cunningham did not actually lose 17 teeth during the play.
His post was meant to emphasize how hard the contact appeared and how strange it was that Cunningham ended up being penalized after taking the blow.
Still, the video made it clear that the elbow could not have felt good.
Cunningham visibly recoiled as Coffey’s arm caught her in the face. The whistle then went against the Indiana guard, making the sequence even more frustrating for Fever fans watching the game.
Many viewers argued that Coffey should have been called for an offensive foul because her elbow made contact with Cunningham above the shoulders.
Others suggested the officials could have allowed play to continue if they believed the contact was incidental.
Very few people watching the replay appeared to agree with the decision to call a defensive foul on Cunningham.
The broadcast commentators also questioned the ruling after seeing the replay.
## Fans Thought Sophie Cunningham Got The Worst Of Both Worlds
Cunningham has developed a reputation as one of Indiana’s most physical and aggressive perimeter defenders.
She regularly accepts difficult defensive assignments and is rarely afraid to get involved when a game becomes tense. Her willingness to play through contact has made her popular with Fever supporters, but it has also placed her in the middle of several physical and controversial moments this season.
The play involving Coffey added another example to that growing list.
Cunningham was positioned closely to the Minnesota forward as she tried to prevent her from driving or creating space. Coffey then turned with the ball, bringing her elbow upward as she moved.
From the angle shown in the viral video, the elbow appeared to land directly on Cunningham’s face.
That visual made the defensive foul especially difficult for fans to understand.
*Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images*
Some viewers argued that Cunningham may have been called for making illegal contact before Coffey’s elbow reached her. From the officials’ position on the floor, they may have believed the Fever guard blocked Coffey’s movement or failed to establish a legal defensive position.
The replay circulating online, however, focused almost entirely on the elbow.
For fans watching that angle, Cunningham appeared to absorb the more painful contact while also receiving the punishment from the officials.
Portnoy’s “17 teeth” comment quickly became the most widely shared reaction to the sequence.
The wording was dramatic, but it captured the frustration of viewers who believed Cunningham had been treated unfairly.
There was no indication that she suffered a serious injury. She continued playing and finished the game with 23 minutes on the floor.
Cunningham scored three points, making one of her two attempts from beyond the arc. It was otherwise a quiet offensive performance for the veteran guard.
The Fever also suffered their 11th loss of the season, falling to the Lynx 108-100.
Minnesota improved its record to 25-6 with the victory.
The high-scoring game featured a combined 208 points, but Indiana was unable to keep pace with the Lynx during the most important stretches.
For Cunningham, the moment most fans remembered had nothing to do with the only three-pointer she made.
It was the elbow, her immediate reaction and the unexpected foul call that followed.
## The Controversial Call Quickly Overshadowed The Game
Calls involving close defensive pressure can be difficult for officials to judge in real time.
A referee must watch the defender’s positioning, the ball handler’s movement and the exact moment contact occurs. It is possible the officials believed Cunningham committed a foul before Coffey’s elbow struck her.
That explanation did little to satisfy viewers once the replay appeared online.
The video showed Cunningham taking a clear shot to the face, which made it easy for fans to view her as the victim of the play.
The fact that the commentators also questioned the call gave those complaints even more momentum.
Within minutes, the sequence had become another online debate about WNBA officiating.
Cunningham’s physical playing style often leads to contact, but fans believed this particular incident was different. She was not delivering the hit or escalating a confrontation. She was attempting to defend Coffey when the opponent’s elbow came up into her face.
The result was the worst possible combination for the Fever guard.
She took the painful contact and was also charged with the foul.
Portnoy later turned that frustration into a viral post by claiming Cunningham had nearly lost an entire mouthful of teeth.
Again, she did not actually lose any teeth, and the headline should not be read literally.
The available footage also did not show her receiving medical treatment or leaving the game with a significant facial injury.
Still, the elbow appeared forceful enough to hurt, and Cunningham’s reaction showed that she felt the contact immediately.
The final result could not be changed. Minnesota secured the win, Indiana added another loss to its record and Cunningham ended the afternoon with three points.
The foul call, however, continued to generate more attention than the final score.
Fans may disagree over whether Cunningham had established legal defensive position before the contact. They may also debate whether Coffey’s elbow movement was natural or deserving of an offensive foul.
What remained difficult to understand was how Cunningham could take the most obvious hit and still be the only player penalized.
She did not lose 17 teeth.
She simply took an elbow to the face, received a defensive foul and became the main character in another officiating decision that left WNBA fans completely confused.
