Sophie Cunningham’s sister and mom have blasted both the WNBA and the player who was involved in the Indiana Fever star suffering a nasty injury on Sunday.
Cunningham was taken to the locker room with a leg problem after wincing in pain on the court during Sunday’s 99-93 victory over the Connecticut Sun.
Cunningham, who has been integral to the Fever this season in Caitlin Clark’s long absence, was standing under the basket and playing defense when a collision with Sun guard Bria Hartley occurred.
Hartley was attempting a pass when she collided with the lower leg of Cunningham, who stayed on the court in pain until team personnel helped her to her feet.
Cunningham’s sister, Lindsey, was furious with the incident and accused the WNBA of failing to protect its players on social media.
She posted on X: ‘@WNBA maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more about hiring officials that are able to call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic.’
Sophie Cunningham’s mom and sister have blasted the WNBA star who injured her on Sunday
She then said she was ‘praying’ for her sister. But their mom, Paula, also joined in the criticism and accused Hartley of endangering her daughter.
Paula posted in a now-deleted post on X: ‘Hartley is a disgruntled player having trouble everywhere she goes; she’s plain mean and plays out of control’.
As soon as Hartley made contact with Cunningham’s lower right leg, the Fever standout immediately grabbed it and fell to the court.
When cameras focused back on Cunningham during a stoppage in play, she was visibly yelling in pain. The Fever ruled Cunningham out for the rest of the game with a right knee injury.
Cunningham had already been assessed with a technical foul in Sunday’s game during a tie-up with Leila Lacan.
The possible serious injury comes at a time when Cunningham’s popularity has never been higher, after joining a roster and becoming close with Clark.
Cunningham celebrated her 29th birthday on Saturday, with the Fever in the thick of the WNBA playoff race.
Her first six seasons in the WNBA were arguably the first time since she started ninth grade that was not a focal point of her team, all with the Phoenix Mercury.
Cunningham was taken to the locker room with a leg injury on Sunday after falling to the floor
Connecticut guard Bria Hartley ran into Cunningham’s lower right leg when making a pass
In year No 7, especially during Clark’s lengthy injury absence, that was no longer the case.
Without two main cogs, the Fever trailed by as many as 21 against the Sun, but rallied to defeat Connecticut 99-93 in overtime. Mitchell finished the game with 38 points, leading both teams.
‘KELSEY FREAKIN MITCHELL,’ Cunningham added on X, not commenting on her health.
‘Battled battled battled. So proud,’ Clark said on X after the victory.
The Fever improve to 19-16 overall and are off until Friday, giving head coach Stephanie White a few days to assess her roster and contemplate next moves.
