Sophie Cunningham gets brutally honest about post-surgery chaos

Sophie Cunningham arrived this season at Indiana Fever with a clear mission. She was there to protect her teammates and bring the kind of fiery energy the team had been missing. And she delivered from the very first minute. Her ejection in the game against Connecticut Sun—after defending Caitlin Clark with a shove to Jacy Sheldon—was more of a statement than a foul. “I’m a team player, and that’s what I do,” Cunningham said at the time. But fate had other plans.

In that same game, an accidental fall by Bria Hartley onto Sophie Cunningham’s knee changed the course of her season. The injury was as dramatic as it was unexpected. While the team stayed quiet in the days that followed, Cunningham revealed on her podcast Show Me Something that she had suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear. The news was confirmed by EssentiallySports, which also shared Cunningham’s raw account of her recovery.

A rough road to recovery

And rough it’s been. Sophie Cunningham didn’t sugarcoat a thing. She spoke about the side effects of painkillers, how she could feel every incision in her knee, and her low tolerance for medication. “It’s been a damn disaster,” Cunningham admitted, unfiltered. Her body, used to dealing with injuries from ankle sprains to shoulder issues, seems to have built a strange resistance to pharmaceuticals. Still, recovery is moving forward. Cunningham said her knees are “surprisingly good” for someone who lives off professional sports.

 

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On the court, Indiana Fever has felt Sophie Cunningham’s absence. Since her injury, the team has had to fight uphill. They’ve lost three key guards and slipped into an inconsistent stretch. But there are signs of life. In their latest game against Seattle Storm, the Fever dominated with a 95–75 win, thanks to standout performances from Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and Odyssey Sims. The team remains in the playoff hunt, though Sparks, Valkyries, and Storm are close behind.

No official return

Meanwhile, Sophie Cunningham continues with physical therapy and ice sessions. There’s no official return date yet, but all signs point to her being ready for next season. Her case echoes that of Damiris Dantas, who returned in four months from a similar injury, and Natasha Howard, who came back in just five weeks. History is on Sophie Cunningham’s side.

And even though Sophie Cunningham is watching from the bench, her voice still echoes—not just through her podcast, but in every play where her teammates defend with the same intensity she brought to the floor.