Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham suffered an injury during Sunday's 99-93 win over the Connecticut Sun. Cunningham has played a pivotal role for Indiana while Caitlin Clark has missed time due to an injury of her own, but Sophie received a devastating update on Tuesday, via an announcement from the team.
“Sophie Cunningham will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an injury during our game at Connecticut on Sunday. In a corresponding move, we have signed guard Shey Peddy to a 7-day hardship contract and released Kyra Lambert,” the team wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Alexa Philippou of ESPN later confirmed that Cunningham suffered an MCL tear. Cunningham is expected to be ready for the beginning of the 2026 season, according to Philippou.
Cunningham, 29, averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals per outing across 30 games during the 2025 WNBA season. She also shot 46.9 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from beyond the arc. Her efficient shooting helped the Fever stay afloat amid their immense injury trouble.
Now, however, Cunningham will miss the remainder of the season. The Fever will need a complete team effort amid all of their injury concerns.
The good news is that Kelsey Mitchell is currently playing like one of the best players in the entire league. Her production has been valuable for years, but her current play is especially impactful given the team's overall situation. Following Sunday's win, the Fever hold a 19-16 record. They are on track to make the postseason.
Indiana is in third place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Fever trail the second-place New York Liberty by just 2.5 games while the Atlanta Dream lead the way with a 3.5-game advantage over Indiana. With a strong finish to the '25 campaign, the Fever could make things extremely interesting in the East.
The injuries won't help matters, though. Getting the job done without Sophie Cunningham will prove to be a challenge. Updates will continue to be provided on the situation as they are made available.
