The Indiana Fever might have to make their playoff push without Sophie Cunningham. The guard went down with a knee injury against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, and early signs point to something serious.
Cunningham, though, isn’t letting the setback break her spirit. Instead of disappearing from the spotlight, she jumped on Instagram, posting a carousel of clips and photos from her August. Teammates didn’t hesitate to drop in with support.

“slayyyy babesss,” wrote Aliyah Boston.
Sydney Colson joked, “Last slide.”
Lexie Hull kept it short: “you >.”
That post was enough to ease some nerves, but there’s still no official word on the injury. The Fever said Sophie Cunningham will undergo an MRI on Monday, and with nine games left on the schedule, the wait feels heavy for a team clinging to postseason hopes.
Sports doctor gives in-depth analysis on Sophie Cunningham’s knee injury
While fans speculate, one familiar voice offered perspective. Dr. Brian Sutterer, a sports physician known for breaking down injuries online, studied the replay and gave his read. He didn’t rule out an ACL tear, though he leaned toward other scenarios.

“Something like the ACL tear would be the worst-case scenario and could have happened with this mechanism,” he explained. “But I think more likely we’re dealing with potentially an injury to the MCL ligament on the inside of the knee, maybe a patella dislocation.”
He went further, pointing to another possibility: “And also remember, right, you’ve got a fibula bone. It’s sitting there on the outside of the knee. You could have enough trauma to that fibula bone to cause a fracture in the outer part of the joint.”
It’s a tough break in timing. Sophie Cunningham had been in rhythm, averaging 10.3 points and 3.2 boards since July while shooting 52/48/84 in 19 appearances. With Caitlin Clark still limited by a groin issue, those numbers mattered more than the box score could show.
Now, Indiana waits. Cunningham’s spirits seem high, her teammates are in her corner, and everyone else is hoping the MRI brings better news than expected.

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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.