The Fever suffered another injury to a guard on Sunday, leaving fans to call for a big decision on bringing back Caitlin Clark.
Calls Mount for Indiana Fever to Make Caitlin Clark Decision After Sophie Cunningham News originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The timing of Caitlin Clark's return from injury has been complicated by a number of factors, and another one got thrown into the mix when Sophie Cunningham left the Indiana Fever game with an injury on Sunday.
Sophie Cunningham Injury: Another Fever Guard Goes Down
With 8:04 left in the second quarter, Cunningham went down grabbing her right knee after colliding with Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley. She went back to the locker room and was ruled out of the game shortly after.
Clark has only played 13 games for the Fever during the 2025 WNBA season, but she is not the only guard to go down.
Point guards Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson suffered season-ending injuries recently, forcing Indiana to sign Odyssey Sims and Kyra Lambert as emergency options.
If Cunningham misses time, that leaves Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull as the only other healthy guards — pending Clark's status.
Clearly, the Fever could use Clark's help when her right groin is deemed healthy. But some fans are starting to think that it may not be worth the risk to bring her back this season.
Calls Mount to Shut Down Caitlin Clark for the Season
"I’m the last person to ever say this, but don’t even bring Caitlin back this season," said one post on X. "The injuries have absolutely massacred this team. It’s not worth the risk. Sophie’s done now too."
"Indiana Fever cannot catch a break," echoed a fan. "No reason to bring Caitlin Clark back this year if Sophie is out as well."
A rough week including losses to the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics took Fever fans from considering playoff implications to wondering how high of a draft pick they could end up with.
I agree. Keep Caitlin Clark out, get a top 5 draft pick, win the championship in 2026.
— Andy froemel (@FroemelAndy) August 17, 2025
The Fever came into Sunday seventh in the WNBA standings, a game ahead of the Seattle Storm for the final playoff spot.
"This was the final nail in the coffin of Caitlin Clark not returning this season," one X user said of the Cunningham injury. "Time to start the rebuild on this whole roster."
Fever need to just shut Caitlin Clark down the rest of the season
— ⚡️D.J.⚡️ (@WXBelk) August 17, 2025
"If Sophie is out for the season there is zero reason to bring Caitlin back," said another post. At this point, tank for the best draft pick you can get."
When Could Caitlin Clark Return?
After Sunday, there are only nine games left for the Fever in the regular season, including three against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. They have four days off before their next game at home against Minnesota on Friday.
The off-days in between games this week may give time for Clark to return to full practice ahead of a possible return to game action. When asked on Sunday if Clark would come back this season, head coach Stephanie White said, "That’s the hope."
However, with losses mounting in the standings and on the roster, Fever fans are not so sure that it is worth bringing back their 23-year-old franchise cornerstone into an uncertain situation.
Related: Indiana Fever Suffer Unfortunate Sophie Cunningham Development on Sunday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
