Why Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham Were Out of Fever Practice

Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham didn't participate in the team portion of the Indiana Fever's June 30 practice.

Indiana Fever guards Sophie Cunningham (8) and Caitlin Clark (22) | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham will not be participating in the Indiana Fever's team portion of their June 30 practice.

For Clark, this was because she's still working her way back from the back injury she suffered during the Fever's June 24 contest against the Phoenix Mercury, which kept her out for Indiana's last game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

And Cunningham is out of Tuesday's practice with an illness, which head coach Stephanie White noted when speaking with the media before practice began. There's no indication of how serious the illness is, but there's nothing to suggest that it's anything overly serious or that Cunningham will miss significant time because of it.

When White was asked whether Clark would be participating in the team portion of Tuesday's practice, she said, "She's going to be doing an individual workout today," per an X post from Dominic Miranda.

#Fever HC Stephanie White spoke today as the team gets extended time off:

🏀 Sophie Cunningham is out sick

🏀 No update on Caitlin Clark but she’s doing individual work today / not at practice

🏀 White touches on timing of the break and what to work on this week@WTHRcom pic.twitter.com/0nddajGZGd

— Dominic Miranda (@DomMirandaTV) June 30, 2026

There's still no indication of when Clark can be expected to return to the team in a full capacity. But the fact that she's able to do individual workouts bodes well for her return coming relatively soon.

Kelsey Mitchell's Emphasis On Ty Harris Integration Makes Sense

There's no question that the Fever not having a game until July 5 comes at a great time, especially because it affords Caitlin Clark time to heal without having to miss too many games.

Still, since Clark's return timeline is uncertain, backup point guard Tyasha Harris needs to be prepared for an expanded role if No. 22 isn't back in action when Indiana faces the Las Vegas Aces on July 5.

Fever star guard Kelsey Mitchell spoke to this during her media availability on Tuesday, as she said, "Implementation of other pieces, like Ty," when asked what will be important for the Fever to work on during this week off of games.

"Just figure out what Ty kind of needs. [That] she stays a lot of our process," Mitchell added, per a YouTube video from Tony East.

Harris saw her role expand against the Sparks on June 27, as she started (her second start of the season) and played 30 minutes in the game. She's averaging 12 minutes per game overall to this point.

And she thrived in this role, scoring 16 points in the blowout win. Harris hadn't scored a single point in her past four appearances for the Fever before facing the Sparks, so it was great to see her produce while Clark was sidelined.

The hope is that Harris won't have to start against the Aces this weekend, as her coming off the bench would likely mean Clark is back. But it's good for the Fever to know that Harris can hold her own if Clark needs more time to return, as the team won't be rushing Clark back to the lineup if she isn't completely healthy.