Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham will sit out the team’s season opener against the Chicago Sky because of a right ankle injury.
On Friday, the team announced the 28-year-old is out for Saturday’s game. The timeline for her return remains unknown.
Cunningham sustained the injury during the Fever’s final preseason game against the Atlanta Dream on May 10. In the third quarter, Cunningham rolled her ankle on Atlanta player Rhyne Howard’s foot while fighting for a rebound. She left the game and did not return.
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Fever coach Stephanie White did not give details about Cunningham when asked about her not practicing earlier this week. While initially saying the team would take things day by day, White emphasized how the Fever were focused on Cunningham’s long-term health and not rushing to have her ready for Chicago.
After Cunningham participated in a half-court shooting contest at practice Friday, insisting she can play, White joked about her player being “fraudulent.”
“I mean, you take off three days of practice and then come and try to get the money at a half-court shot,” White said. “I think that’s a little fraudulent. I think that she’s made great progress, you know, I think the biggest thing is perspective, right? We don’t want to do anything that will set her back, that will hinder her progress.
“I think we have six games in the first 14 days. So we’ll be cautious. The last 48 hours have been really good. “
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When asked about the challenges of the situation, White insisted, “Sometimes you have to save players from themselves.
“Help them understand the big picture. You know, it’s not an advantage for us if she plays, but then she blows up and has swelling or tweaks, and then is out for another two to three weeks. So I think, you know, we’ll rely on the medical staff to really evaluate where she is.”
Cunningham landed in Indiana from Phoenix after a four-team trade between the Fever, Mercury, Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun in January.
Phoenix drafted Cunningham out of Missouri with the 13th pick in 2019. She remained in the Valley for five years and averaged 8.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 2024.
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Cunningham scored 21, 6 and 5 points in Indiana’s preseason games, as the Fever went 3-0 in tune-up matches.
Caitlin Clark will lead the Fever against Angel Reese and the Sky at 3 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday.