Fever's Sophie Cunningham to Miss First Game of Season vs Sky
Indiana Fever wing Sophie Cunningham was listed as out with a right elbow injury before their matchup with the Chicago Sky, the team announced Thursday. Caitlin Clark (who was once again listed as probable) was upgraded to available.
The absence will be Cunningham's first missed game of the season.
Status Update for tonight's game vs. Chicago:
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 11, 2026
Caitlin Clark - Available (back)
Sophie Cunningham - Out (right elbow) https://t.co/byTwX05EyA
Cunningham, now in her second season with the Fever, is averaging 8.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in her 11 games played with Indiana this year. She logged three starts at the beginning of the Fever's 2026 campaign after earning 13 the season before.
Cunningham scored a season-high 17 points in her first game off the bench once Lexie Hull was back up to speed after recovering from a hamstring issue and inserted into the starting lineup, in what would ultimately be an 11-point Fever home win over the Seattle Storm.
The former Phoenix Mercury guard served as an unsung hero for the Fever in their most recent win over the Washington Mystics, where she fed Clark the ball with a crosscourt inbound pass that would ultimately lead to the game-winning shot. Cunningham would finish the night with eight points, two rebounds and three assists.
Cunningham Poked Fun at Game-Winning Shot Discourse on Social Media
After the win against Washington, Cunningham took to social media and had a little fun with the discourse that surrounded Clark's game-winner—namely whether the play had gone as intended.
The last slide on an Instagram post Cunningham made contained a meme insinuating that she and Clark had improvised in the moment.
Though clearly the final play had numerous actions and Cunningham made the right read in finding Clark, who found herself wide open after the Mystics got mixed up in coverage and Cotie McMahon overcommitted in an attempt to recover.
Cunningham later clarified, writing, "you guys read too much into things. that’s THE EXACT play our coach drew up and we executed it perfectly!," as the play indeed did work to perfection.
you guys read too much into things. that’s THE EXACT play our coach drew up and we executed it perfectly! https://t.co/8C0iouJ5LK
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) June 10, 2026
Stephanie White Provides Update on Cunningham
Fever coach Stephanie White provided an update on Cunningham's status and the timing of the elbow injury prior to the game against the Sky.
"I know it's been sore for a little while, and they've been doing treatment, and really trying to get her ready to go," White said pregame.
White added, "It's making sure that we're extremely cautious and we're thinking about the big picture."
When asked about a possible timeline, she said, "I think it's one day at a time."
Due to Cunningham's absence, Bree Hall was activated for the first of 12 possible games on her development contract. Hall, who was drafted No. 20 overall out of South Carolina by the Fever in the 2025 WNBA Draft, was then waived and rejoined the team later in the season on a hardship contract.
She once again became part of the roster on a development deal announced on May 11.
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Alex Sabri began contributing to Indiana Fever On SI in May 2026. He also covers Ohio and Detroit sports for On SI and the BIGPLAY Sports Network.The Purdue and Cleveland State graduate has over four years of journalism and sports media experience across collegiate and professional sports and local coverage.Though he specializes in covering professional hoops, his interests include the WNBA, NBA, NFL, Cleveland Guardians and college football and basketball.
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