Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham calls for better pay and support for WNBA referees.© Ndtv Gallery
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham believes WNBA referees deserve better pay. Speaking on the No Hesitation podcast, she said low salaries could make it harder for officials to focus on the league when they also need to work other games. Cunningham wants the WNBA to give referees a reason to stay and build their careers in the league. She believes better pay could help officials prepare for games and improve their performance.
Sophie Cunningham Wants WNBA Referees To Earn More
Cunningham believes better salaries could give referees more time to rest and prepare for games. She also wants the WNBA to become a league where officials can build long-term careers rather than look elsewhere for better opportunities.
“If we pay them more, their investment level will be a lot higher. Hopefully that means their skill level will be higher. Maybe they’ll be more rested; maybe they’ll not have to work so many games in the off-season; maybe they will be prepared to just be a W ref. Everyone wants the NBA, but our league should be a platform where refs also want to get to and stay. We got to put money where our mouth is… they’re part of the product. They’re part of the game. We need to make sure that they’re taken care of.”
A June 2025 report by The Washington Post found that WNBA referees earned around $2,000 per game. One official told the newspaper that college games could pay about $5,000.
WNBA Takes Steps To Develop Its Referees
The WNBA has also worked to improve officiating. The league added five referees with G League experience and appointed Eric Brewton as its Referee Performance and Development Advisor.
The league said the role would “support the growth of the WNBA’s game officials by providing developmental and evaluative performance feedback.”
However, Cunningham believes better training alone may not solve the problem if referees still need to work elsewhere to earn more money. Her comments add another voice to the debate over how the WNBA can improve officiating as the league grows.
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