The Indiana Fever have been having injury problems, as not only are they playing without a true point guard due to injuries, but superstar Caitlin Clark is also out with a groin injury. The injury situation over at Indianapolis just got even worse, as Sophie Cunningham, who has been carrying the team in the absence of Clark, got a knee injury during a game against the Connecticut Sun.
Cunningham was trying to defend against the Sun’s Bria Hartley when Hartley fell and crashed into Cunningham’s legs in what seems to be an accidental bump. The Fever star was then seen clutching her leg in pain.
This soon got a response from Sophie Cunningham’s sister, Lindsey, as well as their mom, Paula, though the latter soon deleted her post as she called Hartley “a disgruntled player.”
“@WNBA maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more about hiring officials that are able to call a consistent game and protect your athletes,” posted Lindsey. “Pathetic. Praying for you [Sophie].”
“Hartley is a disgruntled player having trouble everywhere she goes; she’s plain mean and plays out of control,” wrote mom Paula in a now-deleted post.
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Here is a video of the collision, which showed Hartley trying to do a layup but was bumped and fell into Cunningham’s legs.
this is the play where sophie got injured https://t.co/hLjcNxn4Q0 pic.twitter.com/Btbq6PkLPu
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) August 17, 2025
The Fever eventually defeated the Sun on the road in a 99-93 OT victory, but the win may have cost them yet another player to injury. Cunningham herself has been very vocal about the referees not protecting players, often complaining about them during interviews and in her podcast.
Sophie Cunningham to Undergo MRI After Scary Injury
After her injury, the Fever rallied to victory, forcing the game into overtime and eventually winning. However, Cunningham herself will still need to be evaluated to determine if she can continue playing this season.
The Fever star will be undergoing an MRI on Monday to assess the damage to her leg, which she was clutching after the collision. Cunningham had to be helped back to the locker room after going down, with Fever coach Stephanie White noting that they will be finding out along with everybody else on Monday.
It was Cunningham who was carrying the Fever since the All-Star break, especially with Caitlin Clark being out with her injury. She was averaging 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals after the All-Star break.
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