Did Bria Hartley intentionally injure Sophie Cunningham? WNBA pro responds to allegations following a season-ending injury
Due to a season-ending injury,
Sophie Cunningham
, the star of the Indiana Fever, will not be participating in her team's postseason run. She reportedly suffered the injury allegedly due to Bria Hartley of the Connecticut Sun.
Meanwhile, one picture that immediately went viral online made others question whether the latter had intentionally hurt her.
Now, the WNBA star had recently opened up on whether or not she believed Bria Hartley intentionally fell on her knee.
She stated that although she is grateful for the support, the claim that Bria Hartley purposefully injured her is simply not true
.
Sophie Cunningham
shared that she's 'in really good spirits' despite confirming her season-ending MCL tear
Sophie Cunningham recently discussed her feelings about her injuries on Tuesday's episode of her Show Me Something podcast.
She stated that she did not believe Bria Hartley purposely hurt her.
The
WNBA
pro also claimed that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that what transpired was just "a basketball place." He then said:
'I know Bria, and I'm actually really good friends with Bria. And I have been waiting to get on the pod so we can talk about this… But I don't think that there [wasn't any] ill intent.. I think it was a basketball play, I was just in the front spot at the wrong time, she fell..'
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Chrissy Metz Is So Skinny Now And Looks Gorgeous
5minstory.com
Undo
She continued:
'I have nothing but love for Bria… Bria and I are super cool, and she would never try to hurt me. Because there are some girls that I think might, but she wouldn't do that. I hope people stop giving Bria some heat, because I don't think she meant to do that at all.'
She also brushed aside the criticism surrounding Bria Hartley's smile following their fall. For context, she is seen grinning broadly in the widely shared photo, gazing at Sophie Cunningham while the
Indiana Fever
star clenches her leg and hobbles up and down.
More about Sophie Cunningham's injury as the WNBA pro is currently not playing
Sophie Cunningham tore the MCL ligament in her knee while playing against the
Connecticut Sun
on August 17. After passing the ball, Bria Hartley fell and collided with her right knee, causing the injury.
Even though the injury was severe at the time, the Indiana Fever star was not diagnosed until Tuesday. It was declared after she left that she would not be coming back to complete the game.
Sophie Cunningham is a WNBA pro (Image via Getty Images)
The coach,
Stephanie White
, commented on the game after it was over, describing "the way that she fell and how she was holding herself and how much pain she was in." However, team officials did not provide further details about the condition.
Also read:
What did Sophie Cunningham say about Diana Taurasi? Indiana Fever star compares legend to Caitlin Clark
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
The Engine: Alyssa Thomas driving new-look Phoenix Mercury near the top of WNBA standings
PHOENIX (AP) — A marketing panel with Castrol landed Alyssa Thomas on a NASCAR hood. HT Image While attending the panel at the WNBA All-Star game last month, Thomas was approached by the motor oil company about putting her image on a NASCAR for an upcoming race. The Phoenix Mercury star loved the idea and helped in the design process, leading to her face making a 168-lap trip around Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the hood of RFK Racing's No. 60 Castrol Ford, driven by Ryan Preece. 'It was a fitting pairing being that my nickname is The Engine,' Thomas said. 'Not too many people can say their face is on a car, let alone in a race, so it was a really cool experience.' The Mercury had a lot of unknowns heading into the 2025 season after Diana Taurasi retired and Brittney Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream. Thomas has been the driving force behind the Mercury's rise. Fitting in perfectly in first-year coach Nate Tibbets' pace-and-space style, Thomas has been stuffing stat sheets while the Mercury have racked up wins. Entering Wednesday's games, Phoenix was fourth in the WNBA standings at 21-13 after finishing 19-21 a year ago. 'She's the ultimate winner, she's the ultimate competitor,' Tibbetts said. 'She wants to win at everything.' Thomas was the three-time ACC player of the year at Maryland and an All-American her senior season before arriving in Connecticut in a draft-day trade with the New York Liberty in 2014. The 6-foot-2 forward spent her first 11 WNBA seasons with the Sun, twice leading them to the WNBA Finals while earning five All-Star nods. She's also made the all-WNBA team three times and the all-defensive team five times. Thomas arrived in the desert via an offseason sign-and-trade deal as a key part of the Mercury's rebuilding, which includes fellow newcomer Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper, Phoenix's leading scorer a year ago. 'It was a decision that I made,' Thomas said. 'In speaking with Nate and Nick (U'ren), I just felt it was a perfect fit for me and my game, and off the court as well.' Thomas has thrived. Already the WNBA's leader in triple-doubles, she has added five more with the Mercury, including a WNBA-record three straight this month. Thomas has 20 of the 52 triple-doubles in WNBA history and her four this month match the most of any other WNBA player's career. Thomas was named an All-Star for the sixth time in her first season with the Mercury and has become an MVP contender with some of the best numbers of her career. She's third in the WNBA with 8.6 rebounds per game and second on the Mercury at 16.1 points while shooting a career-high 54.3% from the floor. Thomas' biggest impact in Tibbetts' offense may be her playmaking. Despite having the size of an interior player, she's used her vision and court awareness to become the WNBA's most prolific distributing forward. Thomas set the WNBA single-season record for assists with 316 in 2023 and is seventh on the league's all-time assists list — the only forward in the top 10. While in Phoenix, she's nearly doubled her career assist average with a league-leading 9.0 this season — over five per game more than the next closest player. 'There's just so much space and I feel like it's a perfect fit for me,' Thomas said. 'It's been a long time since I've played with this many shooters.' The Engine has been revving all season and is taking the Mercury with her. ___ AP WNBA:
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
What did Candace Parker say to LeBron James' PR Team? WNBA pro expresses shock over viral Caitlin Clark NBA 2K Dunk
Candace Parker opened up about the new NBA 2K clip (Image via Instagram / @candaceparker) Even though NBA 2K26 is still more than two weeks away from release, one gameplay clip has already taken center stage. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is seen flexing and celebrating by dunking over Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James in a promotional clip for the game that was made public on August 14. Meanwhile, a weekly podcast called Post Moves is produced by WNBA icons Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston. On their August 20 show, the duo talked about this widely shared video. Additionally, they also expressed amusement over the entire situation. Candace Parker and teammate Aliyah Boston were amused by the new viral NBA 2K clip There is a lot of anticipation for the NBA 2K26 game. It skyrocketed when they published a video of WNBA icon Caitlin Clark dunking over NBA legend LeBron James in a recent game ad. Furthermore, Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston discussed the trailer on Wednesday's episode of Post Moves. While both laughed during the sequence, Candace Parker jokingly stated that 'LeBron's PR team has got to get rid of that' clip, adding, 'Not the King, c'mon man, you can't do that to Bron.' They replayed the video game clip when Aliyah Boston stated that, if she were playing as the Indiana Fever in NBA 2K, she would rather play against the L.A. Lakers because of the clip of Caitlin Clark dunking on LeBron James. Candace Parker then added, "This is wild right here!" She laughed and went on: "This is awful.. But LeBron's PR team has got to get rid of that. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Europe Travel Hack That Saves You Hundreds on Trips! Learn More Undo I don't care if it is a video game. Like, look at his arms. Not the king! Come on, man. You can't do that to Bron. Don't do that." Candace Parker has earlier supported Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese against media Candace Parker has previously talked about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's so-called rivalry and supported them. She went on to say that because of their dissimilar responsibilities and places, the comparison is unfair. Instead of comparing them to one another, she thought they ought to be judged on their contributions and strong points. The comments came after both athletes were frequently included in rivalry plots and performance comparisons. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are two of the league's most promising young players, but Candace feels that the never-ending argument has become pointless. The two-time MVP talked about it on Jemele Hill's show. Caitlin Clark Vs Angel Reese- WNBA 2025 (Image via Getty Images) She said: 'I just think that it's like comparing apples and oranges.. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, it's like, what are we doing? They like doing the Magic and Bird comparison.. At least with the Magic and Bird comparison, they played similar positions. Bird wasn't a point guard, but he played the guard position—they at least kind of matched up.' Meanwhile, the viral clip of the NBA 2K is still making rounds on the internet, garnering fans' attention. Also read: Is Caitlin Clark's season in jeopardy? Indiana Fever struggle without star guard as playoff race heats up Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Did Bria Hartley intentionally injure Sophie Cunningham? WNBA pro responds to allegations following a season-ending injury
Sophie Cunningham is currently injured (Image via Instagram / @sophie_cham) Due to a season-ending injury, Sophie Cunningham , the star of the Indiana Fever, will not be participating in her team's postseason run. She reportedly suffered the injury allegedly due to Bria Hartley of the Connecticut Sun. Meanwhile, one picture that immediately went viral online made others question whether the latter had intentionally hurt her. Now, the WNBA star had recently opened up on whether or not she believed Bria Hartley intentionally fell on her knee. She stated that although she is grateful for the support, the claim that Bria Hartley purposefully injured her is simply not true . Sophie Cunningham shared that she's 'in really good spirits' despite confirming her season-ending MCL tear Sophie Cunningham recently discussed her feelings about her injuries on Tuesday's episode of her Show Me Something podcast. She stated that she did not believe Bria Hartley purposely hurt her. The WNBA pro also claimed that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that what transpired was just "a basketball place." He then said: 'I know Bria, and I'm actually really good friends with Bria. And I have been waiting to get on the pod so we can talk about this… But I don't think that there [wasn't any] ill intent.. I think it was a basketball play, I was just in the front spot at the wrong time, she fell..' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Chrissy Metz Is So Skinny Now And Looks Gorgeous Undo She continued: 'I have nothing but love for Bria… Bria and I are super cool, and she would never try to hurt me. Because there are some girls that I think might, but she wouldn't do that. I hope people stop giving Bria some heat, because I don't think she meant to do that at all.' She also brushed aside the criticism surrounding Bria Hartley's smile following their fall. For context, she is seen grinning broadly in the widely shared photo, gazing at Sophie Cunningham while the Indiana Fever star clenches her leg and hobbles up and down. More about Sophie Cunningham's injury as the WNBA pro is currently not playing Sophie Cunningham tore the MCL ligament in her knee while playing against the Connecticut Sun on August 17. After passing the ball, Bria Hartley fell and collided with her right knee, causing the injury. Even though the injury was severe at the time, the Indiana Fever star was not diagnosed until Tuesday. It was declared after she left that she would not be coming back to complete the game. Sophie Cunningham is a WNBA pro (Image via Getty Images) The coach, Stephanie White , commented on the game after it was over, describing "the way that she fell and how she was holding herself and how much pain she was in." However, team officials did not provide further details about the condition. Also read: What did Sophie Cunningham say about Diana Taurasi? Indiana Fever star compares legend to Caitlin Clark Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
