Sophie Cunningham Is Done For The Season After Suffering Knee Injury Against Sun
It's another devastating blow for an Indiana Fever squad already reeling from injuries to Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald.
Sophie Cunningham is officially out for the remainder of the season after suffering a right knee injury during the Indiana Fever's overtime win against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.
The Fever announced the news on Tuesday, adding that the team also signed veteran guard Shey Peddy to a seven-day hardship contract and released guard Kyra Lambert. The Fever did not offer any specifics on Cunningham's injury.
Cunningham was hurt during the second quarter on Sunday when Sun guard Bria Hartley fell into the side of her leg underneath the Connecticut basket. Play continued as Cunningham grabbed her right leg and hopped to the baseline. Then, she fell to the floor, grabbing her knee and yelling in pain.
Cunningham had to be helped off the court, and she was immediately ruled out for the rest of the game. She underwent an MRI on Monday.
It's a nightmare scenario for an Indiana squad that has already been decimated by injuries. In fact, Cunningham is the third guard to suffer a season-ending injury in the past 10 days, joining a list that includes both Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald, who both got hurt on July 30 in Phoenix. Caitlin Clark has been out since July 15 with a right groin injury.
Cunningham has been critical all season of WNBA officiating, noting that she and her Fever teammates are often on the receiving end of hard fouls that don't get called. The fan-favorite player has already been fined twice in the past month for her comments about referees.
Following Sunday's injury, Sophie's older sister, Lindsey Cunningham, took to social media to voice her frustrations about the league's officiating.
Lindsey wrote on X: "@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. Pathetic. Praying for you, @sophaller."
(David Butler II-Imagn Images)
Cunningham, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, will finish her first year with the Fever averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game on 46.9% shooting from the field, 43.2% from 3-point territory and 87.5% from the free-throw line. Cunningham made 13 starts over 30 games played.
The Fever return to action on Friday against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx.