Pro basketball has always been vocal about refereeing, as hoopers have often felt like the calls and decisions were subjective. But the criticism and grievances hit another level in the 2025 WNBA season.

The likes of Napheesa Collier, Becky Hammon, and Stephanie White, among others, have publicly called out officials for "inconsistency" with calls, "negligence," with some even going as far as calling them "corrupt."

Amid the pre-existing chaos surrounding the issue, WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita took to social media and put out a post captioned, "Bring the FIBA refs to the WNBA!" The post mainly highlighted the stark differences between the WNBA and FIBA officials.

Soon after, fans started chiming in, expressing diverse takes on the topic at hand.

While some merely agreed with DeMita, others went as far as addressing the issues they had with officiating in the WNBA.

The Fanbase Responds

"Boy, you really nailed it, Rachel! Spot on! I watch all the USA games, and I really noticed how good the refs are. You're right, they're not there for fame. They did their job correctly!" a fan wrote.

“Yesssssssss please! They were night and day better, and it was so fun seeing clean basketball again,” a comment read.

A fan echoed the same sentiment, pointing out what they see as a key difference in officiating styles, writing, “WNBA refs rarely called techs. It was laughable.”

Another comment on a similar note read, "What I liked was FIBA refs do not talk to the players or to the coaches. They make their call, and they walk away."

"It was a pleasure to watch the game knowing that our favorite players were not going to be assaulted," a fan opined. They further asked, "This seems like a basic requirement. Is it too much to ask for competent refs?"

Others went further by directly calling out the league, with one fan tagging officials and writing, “WNBA, make it happen so we don't have games that feel hella rigged."

Yet another fan, critical of the entire situation, wrote, "FIBA rules are about controlling the game with minimal display. Ref decisions are final. It's blow, call, move on. They don't care if you're a star or a bench player."

Do you agree with Rachel DeMita's take on bringing in FIBA officials? Let us know!

Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Arvind Rao