Despite suffering a concerning knee injury minutes into Sunday afternoon’s game, Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham actively cheered on her teammates through her social media platforms as the Fever roared back from a 21-point deficit to win 99-93 in overtime against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The injury occurred when Suns guard Bria Hartley’s momentum took her into Cunningham’s lower right leg as the sixth-year Indiana guard slid over to seal the back side of the post.

Immediately after the collision, Cunningham was seen in distress while hopping on her left leg before collapsing at the baseline as she clutched her right knee and yelled in agony.

After teammates surrounded her while she was being evaluated by the Fever medical staff, Cunningham was assisted by multiple team medical staff to the locker room. Shortly after, the team announced Cunningham would not return to the game.

Although in the locker room, Cunningham was among a number of Fever players astonished by the play of Kelsey Mitchell, who finished with a career-high 38 points on 11-for-22 shooting from the field, 5-for-8 from 3-point territory, and 11-for-12 from the free-throw line.

Cunningham also reposted her sister’s scathing comment on the league’s widespread officiating inconsistencies. The former Missouri Tiger has earned two fines from the WNBA this season for a total of $2,000 as a result of expressing her opinions on the subject.

.@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 🙏🏼❤️

— Lindsey Cunningham (@Lbreezzyy) August 17, 2025

Lindsey Cunningham’s comment underscores the message the Indiana guard has conveyed to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league office that unilaterally penalizing those who criticize the officiating inconsistencies while doing next to nothing to actually fix the problem further endangers players.

Mitchell shared in her postgame comments that Cunningham’s injury motivated the team, thanks to the collective bond within the organization that leads the players to battle together and for each other.

“I feel like I just saw AB [Aliyah Boston] on the ground covering someone else up and it was just — I think part of it is truly humbling,” she said. “But on the other side, seeing Soph go down, it fuels you. If you care about your team, care about the people in your locker room — I can’t even explain it. You just really have to care about the people you play with and it fuels who we are as people.”

While Indiana awaits details about Cunningham’s injury, the star guard at least supported her team with an upbeat attitude.

With the team having a five-day break before it hosts the league-leading Minnesota Lynx at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Aug. 22, Indiana will have plenty of time to construct a game plan with or without Cunningham.

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