With her season officially over due to a torn MCL, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham broke her silence this week—not only on her own injury, but also on the speculation swirling around the play that caused it.
On her “Show Me Something” podcast, Cunningham addressed the chatter from fans, and even her own family, that Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley’s collision was intentional.
“I’m actually really good friends with Bria,” Sophie Cunningham said. “Brie and I are super cool, and she would never try to hurt me.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cuyUcmkpU0
Cunningham and Hartley were teammates with the Phoenix Mercury from 2020 to 2021, and that history shapes how Cunningham views the incident.
“I don’t think there was ill intent. I think it was a basketball play,” she explained. “I think I was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. She fell. There’s no way that she would go in there and potentially try to hurt me.”
Even Cunningham’s mom wasn’t convinced at first, posting on X that Hartley did it on purpose. Cunningham made sure to set the record straight.
“She tweeted something, and I’m like, ‘No, mom,’” Cunningham recalled. “There are some girls that might [try to hurt me], but Brie wouldn’t do that.”
Despite being sidelined for the rest of the year, Cunningham stayed positive, making it clear she holds no grudges against Hartley.
“She Would Be Playing”: Caitlin Clark Injury Comeback Gets Big Boost From Sophie Cunningham’s Update
While her own season is done, Sophie Cunningham also used her podcast to share an encouraging update on Caitlin Clark’s recovery—news that immediately lifted Fever fans.
“Literally she doesn’t even really know. It’s like a day by day legit type of thing,” Cunningham said of Clark. “Yeah, she is close but you also have to remember she would be playing if it wasn’t in the WNBA by now.”
She stressed that Clark isn’t just working back from injury—she’s trying to meet the standard of today’s WNBA.
“At this level, with how deep and how good people are nowadays in our league, which is the best it has ever been, you can’t just be good, you have to be on top of your game. So, just trying to get her back into game shape is what they are trying to do. Again, it’s literally a day by day. I am not holding out any information.”
Head coach Stephanie White echoed that outlook earlier in the week, saying the team is hopeful Clark will return before the regular season ends.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
