"It was cute": Sophie Cunningham gives insight into Fever's viral all-injured team pic with Caitlin Clark and others

The Indiana Fever recently took a unique photo featuring their injured players, including Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, and Chloe Bibby. The picture was taken after the team’s full roster portrait, and it quickly went viral on social media. Cunningham later revealed that she was the mastermind behind the idea.

At first, none of the players agreed to get the picture clicked. But Cunningham was persistent and managed to convince Caitlin Clark and the others to gather for the photo. She explained that while it was tough for all five to suffer season-ending injuries, the experience also brought them closer together. For her, the picture was about creating a memory.

“Dude, it was hilarious,” Cunningham revealed in her Show Me Something podcast (timestampt 14:11 onwards). “They all hated me because they were all walking. I was like, “guys we have to get a pic, we're gonna want this.” And so I made them all come back and then we took it and like it was cute.”

“My thing is like, this is a crazy season, and it did happen. So, we should just embrace where we're at. Like this sh*t sucks, and it is fun in a sick way, and so like live it up a little bit. Who cares?”

In the photo taken at the half court inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson leaned on their crutches, while Aari McDonald sat on her stationary bike because a broken bone in her right foot kept her from standing.

Neither Caitlin Clark nor Chloe Bibby had any braces or crutches, but are recovering from a groin and knee injury, respectively.

Despite the Fever missing such integral pieces, Stephanie White’s team managed to advance to the postseason, finishing the regular season with a 24-20 record.

Caitlin Clark celebrates shorthanded Fever’s win vs #1 team in WNBA

The shorthanded Indiana Fever closed out their regular season on a high note. They defended their home court with an impressive 83-72 win over the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.

Caitlin Clark, sidelined for the game, was all in as a cheerleader. She was constantly celebrating her teammates’ success from the bench and even shared the team’s final score graphic on her Instagram Story.

Credits: Instagram (@caitlinclark22)

The Lynx were missing star forward Napheesa Collier, but the victory still carried weight for Indiana ahead of the playoffs. The balance across the roster was impressive, with six of the ten players scoring at least eight points.

However, it was the All-Star duo of Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, proved to be the difference makers. Mitchell delivered with a game-high performance of 18 points. Whereas, Boston contributed with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.