"Really gonna uneven my tan": Sophie Cunningham puts humorous spin on devastating blow as Fever's nightmare run of injuries continues

Indiana Fever fans received yet another devastating blow on Tuesday as star guard Sophie Cunningham was diagnosed with a season-ending injury to her right knee. Cunningham was injured on Sunday, as Indiana beat the Connecticut Sun 99-93 in overtime.

Sun guard Bria Hartley was driving to the basket when she lost her balance and fell awkwardly, colliding with Cunningham’s knee on the way down. The injury adds her to the Fever’s injury report alongside Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald.

With four guards ruled out, Indiana is in a tough spot, with its backcourt depleted and nine games left in the regular season. Facing that, Cunningham tried to lift fans’ spirits with a humorous comment on an Instagram post about her injury.

“Welp, this is really gonna uneven my tan smh 🤦🏼‍♀️,” Cunningham wrote.

Sophie Cunningham’s comment on Instagram.

Cunningham took on a leadership role in her first season with the Fever. The team relied on her for long stretches as guard Caitlin Clark was limited to 13 appearances. She made 30 appearances, averaging 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She finishes her season, posting the best shooting averages of her career with 46.9% from the field and 43.2% from 3-point range.

In response to her being ruled out, the Fever have signed veteran guard Shey Peddy to a hardship contract. Peddy has previously spent six seasons in the league, playing for the Washington Mystics and Phoenix Mercury. She made five appearances for the LA Sparks this season, recording 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

Sophie Cunningham defends Bria Hartley as Sun guard faces backlash over ‘dirty’ play

Shortly after Sophie Cunningham was injured in the collision with Bria Hartley, a photo of the play circulated on social media. The image shows Hartley smiling on the floor as Cunningham writhes in pain, gripping her knee.

Fans on X claimed Hartley’s fall was intentional. Cunningham’s mother and sister also criticized the Sun guard, posting on X. But Cunningham defended Hartley, calling the fall a basketball play.

“I’m actually really good friends with Bria,” Cunningham said. “It was a basketball play. … I even told my mom … she would never try to hurt me. There are some girls that I think might, but she wouldn’t do that. I hope people stop giving Bria some heat.”

After losing Sophie Cunningham, the Indiana Fever will return to the court on Friday to face the Minnesota Lynx.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Sameer Khan