Whoever has cursed the Indiana Fever can stop now. It’s been enough. Caitlin Clark was the first to fall, plagued by soft tissue injuries that have lingered all season. The Fever then suffered a devastating double blow when Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson both sustained season-ending injuries in the same game. Now, Sophie Cunningham has joined the list.

Cunningham went down in the second quarter of Indiana’s game against the Connecticut Sun after Bria Hartley fell into her leg during a contested play. Cunningham immediately clutched her knee in visible pain as play continued. She was helped off the court and soon ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Given her reaction, the injury appears serious, and the emotional toll wasn’t limited to Sophie. Her older sister, Lindsey Cunningham, didn’t hold back in calling out the league. Lindsey wrote on Twitter, “@WNBA, maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more on hiring officials who can call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic. Praying for you @sophaller🙏🏼❤️.”

Sophie Cunningham has never been afraid to speak her mind — and the WNBA has taken notice. She was recently fined $500 for a TikTok post lip-syncing to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” where she indirectly referred to some referees as “stupid,” “slow,” or “useless.” She responded, “This is funny to me… like ok 👍🏼 you got it, bud! ’Cause there’s no more important things to be worried about with our league right now.”

That came just before the league handed down a $1,500 fine for remarks made in the first episode of her podcast, Show Me Something. On it, she didn’t hold back, “I’m someone who says what everyone else is thinking or talking about. Not just with the refs, but with Detroit, with Cleveland… I’m the only one saying it. But if you ask around the league, they feel the same way.”

She continued her commentary in later episodes, notably questioning officiating decisions in a Dallas game involving Paige Bueckers. That same week, Cunningham was hit with a technical foul less than a minute into the game, following a fumbled dribble and light contact with Leila Lacan.

Less than a minute in, Cunningham picked up a technical after botching a dribble and slightly kicking Leila Lacan during the scuffle, which reflects that she’s got little love from the refs or the league these days. But she has not been alone in these complaints, as Fever’s head coach Stephanie White has also come down heavily on the Refs when they lost against the Wings.

The best players are nursing an injury of some kind. Look at any team, and they have some crisis at some time. The Lynx have Napheesa Collier out, the Sky have Angel Reese on the sidelines. The New York Liberty were recovering from Jonquel Jones‘ long recovery when they were hit with Breanna Stewart’s absence. It’s something to look at as the season continues to expand next year onwards. When it comes to Indiana, they can’t afford to look for the next season, as they are in a tight spot when it comes to the playoff race this season.

Has Cunningham’s Injury Ended the Indiana Fever’s Season?

The Indiana Fever were comfortable when it came to the playoff race for most of the time. However, they are in a losing streak in the last few games, and it’s worth noting who they’ve lost to. The Dallas Wings, against whom they had never lost this season before that game. Then came the young Washington Mystics, where Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen blew them away in the first quarter, and they were left to catch up.

Stephanie White is struggling to adapt to two new point guards who have to start from scratch in understanding their system. Cunningham was one of the players who took over the point guard duties along with Kelsey Mitchell. With one less backup point guard, White has even more questions. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, as we still don’t have any definitive update on her injury. Cunningham has not been without injury before this one, as she had an ankle sprain early in the season.

It’s not just her on-court abilities they will miss, she is pumping everyone up, regardless of the score. Without her, the responsibility to bring the energy falls on Lexie Hull, who was benched for this game, a decision that raised questions among fans. White has more questions as they face Minnesota twice after this Sunday’s game.