Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham sends message to Jayson Tatum after injury horror

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham has urged Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum to stay strong after he underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

The Celtics confirmed on Tuesday that the six-time NBA All-Star underwent a successful surgery. A day later, Tatum shared a photo of himself smiling and giving a thumbs-up from his hospital bed.

Cunningham was one of several members of the basketball community who wished Tatum well.

"Hang in there!" Cunningham wrote with an emoji.

Sophie Cunningham's comment on Jayson Tatum's Instagram update (Credits: @jaytatum0)

Tatum suffered the injury towards the end of Monday's 121-112 Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks. The team said the star forward is expected to recover fully but didn't provide a return timetable.

Before his injury, Tatum was having one of the best playoff performances of his career; he finished Game 4 with 42 points and eight rebounds on 16-for-28 shooting, including 7-for-16 from the 3-point line.

Tatum will be out for the remainder of the Celtics' title defense. Boston extended its season and forced a Game 6 via a 127-102 Game 5 victory. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown picked up the slack, combining to score 60 points on Wednesday.

ESPN's Marc J. Spears quoted Tatum's father, Justin Tatum, saying that the Celtics star might be out for eight to nine months.

Sophie Cunningham also has an injury scare

Sophie Cunningham left Indiana Fever's preseason game against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday due to an apparent ankle injury. Following the game, a video surfaced on X that showed the guard wearing a walking boot postgame.

On Wednesday, Indy Star's Chloe Peterson tweeted a photo of Cunningham putting up shots at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. According to Peterson, the veteran guard was not part of the open portion of the Fever's practice session.

Sophie Cunningham has a few days to rest her injury before the 2025 WNBA season begins. The Fever's first game will be against the Chicago Sky on Saturday in Indiana.