Sophie Cunningham's 'Smoker' Sentiment Should Speak to Fever Fans
Wednesday night did not go well for the Indiana Fever. Not only did the team lose to the Phoenix Mercury, but superstar guard Caitlin Clark also left the game due to a back injury.
This came after she was on the receiving end of a dirty play by Alyssa Thomas, as Thomas had her fist on Clark's throat while she was lying on the court at one point in the contest. It also followed closeout fouls on the Mercury that brought Clark to the floor on three-point attempts.
All this led to head coach Stephanie White calling out a double standard in the way Clark is officiated, dubbing what happened to her "dangerous", "egregious", and "disrespectful".
The above is why the sentiment Fever star Sophie Cunningham shared on social media following the game surely resonated with fans.
"I feel like, if I were a smoker, tonight would be a night where I would smoke a whole pack. But I'm not, so I'm gonna eat a couple cinnamon rolls," Cunningham said on her Instagram story, before indeed eating a cinnammon roll.
Sophie on Instagram….. ME FR
— Kaitlyn (ZuluEditsAe) (@zulueditsae) June 25, 2026
“If I were a smoker, tonight would be a night where I would smoke a whole pack” 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/jJ1ArqTw3Y
"I already ate four of them today, might as well finish them off," she added.
Cunningham surely was not the only person with rooting interest in the Fever looking to drown their sorrows, and frustrations, in something.
Cunningham Finger Point Went Viral Before Rematch
One of the reasons bad-blood seemingly spilled over once again in the second meeting between the Fever and Mercury this week is what happened in the first matchup.
Five separate players were assessed technicals in the midst of a skirmish that featured a viral finger-point from Cunningham in the direction of former teammate DeWanna Bonner.
Bonner's unceremonious tenure with Indiana was short-lived last season, with Cunningham in particular irked that Bonner left the team weeks in without an explanation before landing in Phoenix.
So, it's safe to say the entire ordeal that took place and led to the new meme was personal. However, things went too far in the rematch, with the injury to Clark, and the circumstances surrounding it, adding to the hurt the loss alone left with Indiana.
The Fever fell to 10-8 on the year, with things not going as planned both in this game and overall. But this specific game had to leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth on the Fever side.
One Cunningham had to get rid with some cinnamon rolls.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
Follow robinlundberg