The Indiana Fever were narrowly dealt a home defeat after a valiant late-game comeback effort, but that wasn’t the only loss the team suffered on Friday. A string of unanticipated injuries brought some comedic relief.
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With Caitlin Clark sidelined until at least June 9th with a squad strain, backup Sydney Colson stepped into her stead. But when Colson went down with an injury of her own, Sophie Cunningham was tasked to be the team’s emergency playmaker. The fifth-year guard played 27 minutes for Indiana off the bench before suffering an unfortunate ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
It turned out to be a bizarre injury for Cunningham, who was tripped before falling to the ground. When the veteran playmaker went down in pain, it turned out she had done more than just tweaked her ankle — she had chipped her tooth as well.
While the severity of the injury was a concern, considering the several other players the Fever have shelved, Cunningham’s MRI was reportedly good news.
Sophie Cunningham ankle injury on this play.
Hopefully she heals up soon. Such a huge blow for this squadpic.twitter.com/5Rl4Ybuqj2
— AK (@Sudharsan_AK10) May 31, 2025
After having a moment to recover, Cunningham proved to be in good spirits, even posting a TikTok showing off her chipped tooth. Soon, others joined in, poking fun at her hilarious new look, including her teammates. Knowing her backcourt mate will look good as new in a matter of days, Caitlin Clark didn’t have a problem posting a meme at Cunningham’s expense.
Sophie Cunningham showing her chipped tooth pic.twitter.com/Zm0ebOuvTN
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) June 3, 2025
Clark trolled Cunningham on her close friends Instagram story, posting a photo of Jim Carrey’s character in “Dumb and Dumber,” Lloyd Christmas, who is known for his chipped-tooth look. This particular photo of Christmas has been a viral meme for years, but Clark simply captioned it “Sophie,” pointing out the pair’s similar smiles.
Lmaoo Caitlin trolling Sophie’s chipped tooth on her CF pic.twitter.com/6UxNhdiZe7
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) June 3, 2025
Cunningham quickly reshared Clark’s hilarious jab for the world to see, proving she isn’t afraid to laugh at herself even when someone else is making the jokes. As a vital part of the Fever’s backcourt, especially with their recent injury troubles, Cunningham is likely just happy that her ankle won’t sideline her long-term.
“I think we got good news from both of their MRIs, as good of news as you can get,” Fever coach Stephanie White said of Cunningham and Colson’s scans. “And so right now, it’s a day-to-day thing. We’re looking forward to hopefully them returning at some point sooner rather than later, but at the same time, it’s how each of them progresses in their rehab.”
With the Fever currently sitting at 2-4 and their star out for at least the next week, Indiana desperately needs one or both of Cunningham and Colson to be ready for the team’s next game. White’s optimism makes it seem as though that’s a possibility, but if it isn’t, the Fever will be fully relying on Kelsey Mitchell to handle their point guard minutes.