Cunningham gave a strong take about the rash of injuries affecting Fever teammate Caitlin Clark and other WNBA stars.
Fever Star Sophie Cunningham Doesn't Hold Back Amid Caitlin Clark Injury originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark missed her 17th game of the regular season due to injury on Tuesday night as the Fever lost 100-91 to the Los Angeles Sparks.
She's not the only WNBA superstar on the sidelines. These 2025 WNBA All-Stars were not available to play Tuesday due to injuries.
- Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (ankle)
- New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (knee)
- Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (back)
The apparent injury crisis around the league got brought up on Sophie Cunningham's podcast this week, and the Fever star did not spare any feelings.
Sophie Cunningham Shuts Down WNBA Schedule Controversy
West Wilson, Cunningham's co-host on their "Show Me Something" podcast, suggested the condensed WNBA schedule — specifically, teams playing back-to-back games— was a factor in the injuries to Clark and others.
“Here's my thing on this," Cunningham said in response, unable to hold her tongue. "We are always going to have back-to-back games because our season is so short and they're trying to cram as many games in."
“If we’re asking to get paid more, then we’re going to have to produce more product," she said bluntly to her fellow players.
A priority of @TheWNBPA in the new CBA has to be addressing the condensed schedule. This season there are too many games in too short a period of time. (Research: Garrett Gastfield)
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) July 27, 2025
AVERAGE # OF DAYS BETWEEN GAMES
2021: 4.03
2022: 2.81
2023: 2.88
2024: 3.23
2025: 2.70
Here's the context behind the controversial talking point:
- Historic number of injuries. As of Tuesday, there have been 176 injuries in the WNBA this season — the same number as all of the 2023 season.
- WNBA's record number of games. This season, the regular season expanded to 44 games per team, the maximum number allowed in the collective bargaining agreement that expires at the end of the 2025 season.
- Expansion will likely add more games. With two more expansion teams (Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo) coming in 2026, the possibility of more games is yet another point of negotiation for the new CBA.
Cunningham said she thinks the players deserve a raise, but in turn they will have to toughen up and be willing to play more games — injuries might be a byproduct.
Cunningham's Solution to WNBA Injury Crisis Did Not Help Caitlin Clark
Given the gritty style that endears Cunningham to her teammates, it is no surprise she is so accepting of the bruising WNBA schedule.
She was still concerned about the pileup of injuries. She just had a different solution.
"Here's the kicker," explained the 28-year-old. "I think you have to be really smart especially the older that you get… you can’t be playing year round anymore.”
Sophie says she played through an injured collarbone on her shooting shoulder all season. She got surgery and is healthy now. pic.twitter.com/uRft4SQqhK
— correlation (@nosyone4) February 13, 2025
Cunningham did not play in Unrivaled, the start-up 3-on-3 league that ran from mid-January to mid-March before the WNBA season began in May.
It is hard to assess the truth behind Cunningham's claim that offseason rest will solve the problem. Collier, Stewart and Reese all played in Unrivaled, but Clark did not, and they all got hurt. WNBA players have played overseas in the offseason for years.
While Indiana continues to battle through its current four-game road trip with Clark on the sidelines, Cunningham's stance on the WNBA schedule is clear — she gets paid to pay, not complain.
Related: "Whatever It Takes”: Indiana Fever Urged to Make Unfortunate Sophie Cunningham Decision
Related: Sophie Cunningham Earns New Nickname After Fever-Storm Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
