Shakira Austin’s technical foul for voicing frustration sparked a social media callout of officiating inconsistency. Even though the Washington Mystics won their game against the Chicago Sky 90-72, Mystics star Shakira Austin aired out her frustrations during the game, but the response she got from the referee was not unfavorable. Austin then took her complaint to social media, risking further league discipline.

What was even more frustrating for her was the fact that the opposing team also had episodes of their own, screaming and yelling, but they were not punished either.

“Letting the opposing team scream and yell with no tech but giving me one in MY CITY is crazy idc… anywho gotta spread the next one out over the next month,” Austin wrote in an X post.

The incident that led to the technical foul actually happened in the first quarter at the 4:44 mark. Chicago’s interior defense hammered Shakira Austin, who took multiple hits from the opening tip. However, the refs swallowed their whistles, allowing the physical play to continue without calling any fouls.

Frustrated by the lack of protection and the consecutive missed calls, Austin explicitly voiced her displeasure to the officials. And for that verbal protest, the referee Tim Greene assessed her a technical foul. The sting was sharper because it happened at home for the Mystics, and because opposing players complained without penalty.

The home-court setting made the call all the more disappointing to the Mystics star. Now Austin needs to practice restraint to avoid a second tech. At least not for another month, as she jokingly suggested in her post.

Beyond the foul, it was quite a good night for Shakira Austin. She finished the game with 17 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and three steals. And it all culminated in a commanding victory for the Mystics.

They now hold a 4-4 record this season and sit ninth in the combined league standings. They will play their next game against the Atlanta Dream and will be hoping to build a streak out of this win. Shakira Austin will also be hoping not to pick up another technical foul this time.

Could Shakira Austin Face Further Discipline After Calling Out Officials?

Shakira Austin’s technical foul against the Chicago Sky already comes with a $500 fine. The WNBA fine structure stipulates that players pay that amount in fine for each of their first three technical fouls in a season.

The penalty then increases to $1,000 after a fourth technical foul, $1,500 after a seventh, and eventually includes game suspensions alongside the $1,500 fine once a player reaches eight technical fouls.

Beyond technical fouls themselves, there are also other actions that can carry financial consequences. One notable example is social media criticism of officiating. According to WNBA rules, any public comment or post that questions the fairness or accuracy of officiating, even if intended as a joke or lighthearted remark, can be subject to a fine.

For example, Fever star Caitlin Clark was handed a $200 fine in 2025 for a playoff-related post she made on X. Her teammate Sophie Cunningham also assessed a $500 fine for a TikTok video in which she explicitly tagged and criticized league referees.

And so, with the post that Shakira Austin made, there is also a risk that she could receive a social media fine. By saying, “Letting the opposing team scream and yell with no tech but giving me one,” Austin’s post directly questioned the consistency of the officiating, which could potentially fall under the league’s anti-criticism rules. Although if she does receive such a fine, it is highly unlikely that the WNBA would publicly announce it, as the league typically does not disclose minor player fines.

A social media fine would bring her total cost to $1,000; a steep price for one quarter of frustration. It is her first technical foul of the season, however, and hopefully, as she suggested herself, she will be able to avoid picking up any more anytime soon.