“Looks like she intentionally hurt Sophie Cunningham”: Fans berate Sun’s $78,831 guard after collision with Fever vet leads to concerning knee injury

Sophie Cunningham suffered an apparent knee injury in the Indiana Fever’s game against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday after colliding with Bria Hartley. The contact occurred under the basket when Hartley went down in the paint and hit Cunningham’s knee.

The Fever are already reeling from multiple injuries, with star guard Caitlin Clark sidelined indefinitely with a groin issue and Aari McDonald and Syd Colson both ruled out for the season earlier this month.

READ: What happened to Sophie Cunningham? Indiana Fever injury crisis deepens with knee injury

Fever fans voiced frustration with Hartley, who is on a one-year, $78,831 contract with the Sun.

“I want to see the camera angle from the backboard.... that looks like she intentionally hurt Sophie Cunningham,” one fan said.

“She intentionally went for her leg while going down, she could have easily avoided soph,” another commented.

“Hartley is a dirty a** player every game something happens with her,” another said.

Here are more reactions:

READ: "She's a disgruntled player" - Sophie Cunningham's mom Paula Cunningham bluntly dubs Connecticut Sun's Bria Hartley 'mean' for injuring Fever star

Sophie Cunningham praises Kelsey Mitchell for willing Fever to win vs Sun

Even after going down, Cunningham continued supporting her teammates as the Fever stormed back from a 21-point deficit to force overtime and secure a 99-93 win.

Kelsey Mitchell carried the short-handed Fever with a 38-point explosion, knocking down five 3-pointers and dishing six assists to power the comeback.

As Indiana battled Connecticut in overtime, Cunningham jumped on X to send a message of support.

“KELSEY FREAKIN MITCHELL,” Cunningham tweeted.

Mitchell, who had only four points in the first half, erupted for 34 in the second half and overtime to match her career high of 38. She scored 10 points in the extra period to put the Fever in control.

The Fever improved to 19-16 with the victory. The win over the last-place Sun marked a bounce-back for Indiana after dropping four of its previous five, including a 35-point rout to the Phoenix Mercury, their worst defeat of the season.

The Fever’s next two games are against the league-best Minnesota Lynx on Sunday and Friday.

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro