Fever announce worst possible Sophie Cunningham update and immediately take action

Fever guard Sophie Cunningham will be out for the rest of the WNBA season with an injury sustained against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, leaving them without sharpshooters in her absence and Caitlin Clark

Sophie Cunningham looks up the court during a WNBA game

The Indiana Fever’s brutal run of injuries just got worse after the WNBA team announced guard Sophie Cunningham will miss the remainder of the season with a torn right MCL. The Fever wasted no time in filling the hole on their roster and signed free agent guard Shey Peddy to a 7-day hardship contract, releasing rookie guard Kyra Lambert in the process.

Cunningham played only 10 minutes against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday before injuring her right knee in the second quarter. The injury materialized when Sun guard Bria Hartley drove to the basket while being guarded by Kelsey Mitchell. Hartley previously pulled the hair of Chicago Sky guard Angel Reese during a game in June.

The Fever shooter rotated to double-team, but Hartley lost the ball and fell trying to pass out of the double team under the basket. Some fans and Cunningham’s family members suggested the collision was intentional, but Hartley clashed with Cunningham during her fall, which caused the Fever star to instantly hobble and fall to the ground while clutching her knee in pain.

Reports showed that Cunningham was scheduled to undergo an MRI on the following Friday to assess the severity of the injury. She stayed on social media to congratulate her teammates during the game, even joining Caitlin Clark in referring to Mitchell as the league MVP.

The reigning Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star was one of the first Fever players to react to the news in support of her teammate.

Clark posted a photo of Cunningham in her Instagram Stories and wrote, “Love you, Soph always.”

Cunningham’s initial reaction was not to concentrate on the announcement.

Instead, she showed off a new GMC truck on her Instagram story just minutes after her injury was made public.

Cunningham’s regular season ends with an average of 8.6 points and 1.2 assists, while shooting 43 percent from three-point range in 30 games. Her 46.9 field goal percentage is a career high.

The Fever sharpshooter joined a laundry list of Fever players unable to suit up for the team as they push toward a playoff berth with nine games left in the season.

Indiana has a 19-16 record and is heading into the season’s final stretch without Cunningham, Clark, and scoring guards Aari McDonald and veteran backup Sydney Colston, both out for the season.

McDonald, after breaking a bone in her right foot during a game against the Mercury, and Colston, after tearing her ACL in the same game.

The Fever’s starting lineup has been consistent, with team-leading scorer Mitchell, veteran big Natasha Howard, and three-time All-Star Aliyah Boston starting every game this season.

Reserve guard Lexie Hull is the only other player to participate in each game this season.