The Indiana Fever had a tough start to the game against the Connecticut Sun. Chasing the hosts throughout the match, Stephanie Ehite’s side lost one of its key members, Sophie Cunningham, to injury. While Sophie’s sister, Lindsey, had her say about the injury, her mother, Paula, lashed out at the offender.
The star suffered a knee injury and will be evaluated for the damage. HC Stephanie White also mentioned the horrific injury moment in her press conference.
Sophie Cunningham’s Mother With Stern Words For Bria Hartley
Whenever a player against the Connecticut Sun is injured, Bria Hartley is at the center of the chaos. In the game against the Indiana Fever, the guard was driving towards the basket and lost her balance. She collided with Cunningham’s leg, who was in a defensive position under the basket. The referee didn’t give any foul and continued the play with Fever winning the position. The 29-year-old star stayed on the floor in pain.
The Fever forward was then taken out, and it was later confirmed that she was unavailable for the game. Analyst Jason Whitlock called it ‘Nightmare season’ after the player’s injury and slammed the Fever HC. Sophie’s sister blasted the league for not giving attention to player safety and for fining them for comments. Her mother went a step further and directly called out Hartley.
“Hartley is a disgruntled player having trouble everywhere she goes; she’s plain mean and plays out of control,” she wrote on ‘X’. Even though she later deleted the post, her true feelings were already out.
Prayers up for Sophie Cunningham. Sophie’s sister Lindsey and mom Paula are calling out the league for fining players for calling out poor officiating instead of protecting players, and for Bria Hartley’s history as an out of control player. They won’t delete these tweets either. pic.twitter.com/q356U3htGz
— CaitlinFor3 (@CaitlinForThree) August 17, 2025
Hartley has been very reckless this season, with five technical fouls and two ejections already. Still, her rough plays have damaged multiple players, and sadly, she got away with them also. Sophie shared her sister’s post, letting the league know about her feelings. She also shared some other posts congratulating the side on the win.
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Sophie Shares Encouraging Post
While her family was out blasting the league and the player who injured her, the 29-year-old star shared a post on social media celebrating the Indiana Fever’s victory. First, she shared an August review post with her memories from the month. Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull reacted to the same, showering love on their teammate.
Then she shared a post on ‘X’ lauding Kelsey Michell’s performance, who made the tough win possible with her 38-point outburst.
KELSEY FREAKIN MITCHELL.
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) August 17, 2025
Fans will be happy to see the former Missouri star in a joyous mood and active on social media. Her activities could mean that the damage is not too severe, and she could make an early return.
The Fever will face the 2024 finalists, the Minnesota Lynx, next, which will be another tough test for White’s team, given both teams’ forms.