Sophie Cunningham has infused infectious energy into the Indiana Fever and their fan base. Amid all the misfortune this team has endured this season, the veteran guard has provided the squad with undying loyalty and undeniable grit. Cunningham's fierce commitment to Indy remains strong even as she comes to grips with devastating injury news.

Despite suffering a season-ending MCL tear in Sunday's win over the Connecticut Sun, the 2019 second-round draft pick expressed her gratitude for what has personally been a reinvigorating WNBA campaign.

“I'm really in good spirits, because I knew that I hurt myself pretty good, but I will say I'm just thankful,” Cunningham said on the “Show Me Something” podcast that she co-hosts with reality television star West Wilson. “I know this is not probably the time to say this, but 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.”

Sun guard Bria Hartley, someone who Cunningham considers a good friend from their time together on the Phoenix Mercury, fell into the Fever player's knee during the second quarter. The situation looked bleak immediately, as Cunningham writhed in agony. The fiery sharpshooter felt the pop and knew what was ahead.

In less than a year, she has formed a strong bond with the locker room and Indiana as a whole, earning the nickname “The Enforcer” after she physically took down then-Connecticut guard Jacy Sheldon (traded to Washington Mystics). Sheldon, Marina Mabrey and others got into a heated exchange with Caitlin Clark earlier in that June 17 matchup, presumably prompting Cunningham to retaliate. She ascended into instant fan-favorite status, showing everyone that she will protect her teammates at all costs, even at the risk of getting ejected.

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Besides the feisty personality that Sophie Cunningham has brought to the Fever, she also made a clear impact on the scoreboard. The former Missouri Tigers star averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from 3-point range this season. She has been more valuable than Indy could have hoped for, doing her part to keep the squad in the playoff picture following a brutal injury wave.

Can the already shorthanded Fever hang on after Sophie Cunningham injury?

Clark has missed more than a month straight with a groin injury and has suited up just 13 times in 2025. Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald recently sustained season-ending injuries as well. Losing Cunningham puts the Fever in a severely fragile state with just nine games left to play before the playoffs begin. They face the WNBA-leading Minnesota Lynx three times in that span.

A postseason berth is no longer the guarantee it initially appeared to be, as sixth-place Indiana is only two and a half games clear of the ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks (top eight teams get in). This team is just begging to get a stay of execution, because if it does, it could still potentially cause some trouble in the playoffs. But that will only happen if the Fever play with a Sophie Cunningham-level intensity. Perhaps she can still bring the fire from afar.

Regardless of how this campaign ends, fans will definitely want the organization to re-sign Cunningham. When an athlete credits a franchise with restoring their passion for the sport, it is usually a good idea to keep them around.