If the player had trash-talked or just shoved her opponent, no one would have said anything.
In a WNBA game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury, two players — Mercury guard Diana Taurasi and Lynx star Seimone Augustus — got into a face-to-face argument, which Taurisi ended by giving Augustus a kiss on the cheek.
Fandsided reports that although both women walked away smiling, the referee assessed them each a personal foul for the incident.
The league has not commented on the unexpected fouls, nor has the referee explained what was so horrible about the action.
If Taurisi had just said horrible things about Augustus’s mother, presumably the incident would not have reached the foul line.