"What should we name her?": Sophie Cunningham searches for simple joys after getting knee brace on injured right leg

Sophie Cunningham became the latest casualty in the Indiana Fever’s growing injury list, tearing her right MCL and ruling her out for the rest of the season. She joins Aari McDonald and Syd Colson, who both suffered season-ending injuries earlier this month.

Even with the setback, Cunningham kept a lighthearted attitude toward the injury, asking her 1.2 million Instagram followers to help her name her knee brace, which she showed in a story.

"What should we name her?" she jokingly asked her followers.

Cunningham sustained the injury against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday after colliding with Bria Hartley under the basket, when Hartley went down in the paint and struck her knee.

To address the backcourt shortage, the Fever signed Shey Peddy to a hardship contract.

Sophie Cunningham says Bria Hartley not to blame for injury

After Sophie Cunningham’s injury, some Indiana Fever fans directed blame at Bria Hartley for the collision. But on her “Show Me Something” podcast, Cunningham said she doesn’t believe there was any bad intent from her former Phoenix Mercury teammate.

"I know Bria and I'm actually really good friends with Bria,” Cunningham said. “(There) was no ill intent. I think it was a basketball play. I was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. She fell. There's no way she'd go in there and try to hurt.

“I've got nothing but love for Bria. I even, like, told my mom because she tweeted something, 'No, Mom, like I get, but I promise you Bria and I are super cool and she'd never try to hurt me.'"

Before the injury, Cunningham was averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists over 30 games with 13 starts, stepping up amid the Fever’s wave of injuries.

Cunningham said she remains upbeat despite being sidelined and expressed gratitude to the Fever for reigniting her passion for the game.

"I'm in good spirits," Cunningham said. "I'm thankful to be where I'm at and be with the organization and girls I'm with, because they've brought my love of life and basketball back. I'm thankful for the year I got. I am going to be done for the rest of the season, so that kind of sucks."

Her injury comes as the Fever face their final nine games, which Tankathon ranks as the toughest remaining schedule in the league, including three matchups with the Minnesota Lynx.

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