The Fever have been dealing with some widespread injury issues lately, and that continued on Sunday against the Sun.
Guard Sophie Cunningham had to leave the game in Connecticut with a right knee injury after Bria Hartley fell into her knee on a drive. Cunningham needed assistance to get off the court as she was in visible pain.
Sophie Cunningham heads to the locker room after this Hartley pass and crash on her right leg. Oh my god 💔 pic.twitter.com/ZTTPYnhkTs
— AK (@Sudharsan_AK10) August 17, 2025
Cunningham is the latest Fever player to deal with an injury, as Caitlin Clark has been out since the middle of July. Cunningham herself also missed some time earlier in the season with an ankle injury.
As WNBA referees have been scrutinized recently for their inconsistency, Cunningham has been one of the more vocal players. in the league. As a result, she was fined by the league earlier in the season for her criticism of the refs.
I got fined $500 for this TikTok 🤣🤣 idk why this is funny to me… like ok 👍🏼 you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now pic.twitter.com/ELAlguHhMQ
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) July 23, 2025
Hartley, meanwhile, is at the center of another controversial play. Earlier this season, Hartley pulled Angle Reese's hair on a rebound attempt, leading to a small scuffle, and just this week she was ejected for her role in a scuffle between the Sun and Sky.
Angel Reese and Olivia Nelson-Ododa got into it after Bria Hartley pulled Reese's hair on a rebound attempt 😳 pic.twitter.com/B4BkdxZ8qV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 15, 2025
Status alert: Bria Hartley, Rebecca Allen, Ariel Atkins have been ejected Wednesday.pic.twitter.com/YT0aoXcGVu
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) August 13, 2025
Here's the latest on Cunningham's status.
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How long is Sophie Cunningham out?
The Fever ruled Cunningham out for the rest of the game as she was being evaluated by the medical staff in the locker room. Beyond that, Cunningham's injury status is unknown.
After the game, Fever coach Stephanie White said she didn't have any further update on Cunningham, but the guard have an MRI on Monday.
No further update on Sophie Cunningham's right knee. She has an MRI scheduled for Monday.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) August 17, 2025
The MRI results didn't come in on Monday. On Tuesday, so two days after the injury, it was revealed that Cunningham will miss the remainder of the WNBA season due to her injury which was diagnosed as a torn MCL. She is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of next season, but is the third season-ending injury for the Fever in the month of August.
Breaking: Sophie Cunningham will miss the remainder of the season as a result of Sunday's injury versus the Connecticut Sun, the Fever announce.
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) August 19, 2025
This is the third season-ending injury in less than two weeks for the Fever