Jonquel Jones could be forced to pay up after clashing with Sophie Cunningham during the Indiana Fever’s 106-92 win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday, August 11. The WNBA star was slapped with a technical foul following the heated third-quarter exchange, putting her in line for a $500 fine unless the league overturns the call.
According to Sporting News, the trouble started with 1:10 remaining in the third and Indiana leading 81-68. Cunningham was called for holding Jones, but the confrontation continued after the whistle. Officials punished Jones for her reaction, while Cunningham avoided an additional call. Kelsey Mitchell missed the resulting technical free throw, and Jones remained in the game.
The technical was Jones’ first of the 2026 season, placing her at the bottom of the WNBA’s escalating penalty ladder. Under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, players are fined $500 for each of their first three technicals and $1,000 for technicals four through seven. An eighth brings a $1,500 fine and an automatic one-game suspension. Jones is nowhere near that danger zone, but she will still lose money if the ruling stands.
The WNBA can erase a technical after reviewing the play. The league recently rescinded one issued to Fever star Caitlin Clark, although that decision has no bearing on Jones’ case. The Liberty center joins Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Han Xu among New York players who have received technicals this season. Liberty coach Chris DeMarco has already collected five.
Cunningham’s latest run-in arrived just days after Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected for striking her across the head while contesting a layup. Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on Threads after receiving a Flagrant 2, but later denied claiming that the ejection itself was racially motivated.
“I’ve never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege,” she wrote. Carrington said she was instead calling attention to what she views as inconsistent enforcement across the WNBA. “I would just love consistency across the board,” she told reporters.
Tuesday’s confrontation did not overshadow Indiana for long. Mitchell torched New York for 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting, while Clark added 22 points, 10 assists and four rebounds. Jones still secured a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards, but the Liberty dropped to 20-14 and remained seventh in the standings. Indiana improved to 21-12 with its second straight victory, passing the Atlanta Dream.
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