Sophie Cunningham injury update: Fever star defends Bria Hartley amid intense backlash

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham’s injury during the August 17 game against the Connecticut Sun led to controversy

Published on: Aug 22, 2025, 08:01:34 IST

Edited by Yash Nitish Bajaj

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham’s injury during the August 17 game against the Connecticut Sun has led to a season-ending mishap for her. Now ruled out of the postseason sprint, Cunningham spoke about the severe backlash Sun’s Bria Hartley has been receiving as a result of many speculating if she purposely caused the injury.

Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever loses the ball on a move to the basket against the Connecticut Sun (Getty Images via AFP)

Sophie Cunningham comments

During an appearance on Tuesday’s (August 19) episode of her Show Me Something podcast, Cunningham said, “I know Bria, and I’m actually really good friends with Bria. And I have been waiting to get on the pod so we can talk about this… But I don’t think that there [was any] ill intent… I think it was a basketball play, I was just in the front spot at the wrong time, she fell…”

“I have nothing but love for Bria… Bria and I are super cool, and she would never try to hurt me. Because there are some girls that I think might, but she wouldn’t do that. I hope people stop giving Bria some heat, because I don’t think she meant to do that at all.”

The injury

The Fever player suffered her injury after passing the ball when Hartley fell on her right knee. After being diagnosed on Tuesday with the same, she was ruled out of returning this season. Cunningham will now have surgery on Friday (August 22), and her recovery is scheduled to take four months, as reported by USA Today.

"If you're gonna hurt your knee, that is the best possible case," Cunningham said on her Show Me Something podcast with reality TV star West Wilson. “I'm really in good spirits because I knew that I hurt myself pretty badly, but I will say I'm just thankful. I'm just thankful to be where I'm at and be with the organization and the girls that I'm with because they have brought life and my love of basketball back.”

The injury ended what had been Cunningham's best season in the WNBA. She averaged 8.6 points and set personal bests in field-goal percentage (46.9) and three-point percentage (43.2), writes the Bleacher Report.

The Indiana Fever will now face the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday (August 24).

By Stuti Gupta

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

Sports

Catch all the latest Sports News, scores, and highlights in one place. Stay updated with real-time coverage of your favorite games and athletes along with Lionel Messi latest updates.