Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham wanted everyone to know her thoughts after the Las Vegas Aces ended her team’s season on Tuesday.
The Fever played shorthanded, most notably without superstar guard Caitlin Clark, and multiple key players in a deciding Game 5 semifinal loss, 107-98, in overtime. It’s a narrative few would have imagined last month when the Fever shelved Clark for the season due to injury.
Indiana made the playoffs as a No. 6 seed, and reached the WNBA semifinals, coming a win shy for making the finals. Cunningham envisions the next chapter in 2026, and she let the rest of the league know about it via social media.
“Us. Can’t make this season up! So much to be proud of. You better believe we are coming for everybody next season,” Cunningham wrote on X.com with a photo of the team in their locker room after the game.
Cunningham, like Clark, didn’t play in the playoffs due to injury. Indiana also didn’t have Aari McDonald, Chloe Bibby, Damiris Dantas, and Sydney Colson. Added to that, the Fever lost star guard Kelsey Mitchell to injury and star forward Aliyah Boston to fouling out in Game 5 against the Aces, and the Fever still forced overtime and threatened to eliminate Las Vegas.
Indiana could have many of those players back in 2026, primed to make a WNBA championship run. The Fever’s core and supporting cast grew up this postseason by knocking out the No. 3 seed Atlanta Dream in the quarterfinals before pushing the Aces to a Game 5 in overtime.
During the regular season, the Fever won the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup on the road against the Minnesota Lynx — last season’s WNBA runner-up. The Lynx fell short in the semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury this year.
Kelsey Mitchell Gives Injury Update After Playoff Loss
Mitchell sustained a leg injury during Game 5 on Tuesday and didn’t return. It hindered the Fever overall, but Indiana found a way to give the Aces everything they could handle anyway.
Mitchell went to a hospital after her exit to receive fluids amid cramping, Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters afterward. On Tuesday, afternoon, Mitchell detailed what happened and her condition via social media.
“I suffered from something called Rhabdomyolysis last night. my muscles stopped producing and reached it’s maximum capacity,” Mitchell wrote on X.com. “I went into a sense of numbness/paralyzing feeling with no movement from my lower extremities for up to five to seven seconds, because my muscles stopped producing positive blood to my bloodstream, my body locked up from a physical standpoint and from there fatigue and cramping settled in. It sucked.”
“I panicked because I began to think the worse when I felt like I couldn’t move my legs,” she added. “It was an out of body experience for me, and I think God for covering me at a time like that. So today on Oct. 1, I am walking and moving at a slow pace, but I will be fine very soon. I want to thank the Fever medical team, Vegas medical team, and the staff at the local hospital for keeping me safe.”
“In other words, I played literally till my wheels fell off,” Mitchell concluded as she offered more thanks and appreciation for everyone.
Fever’s Lexie Hull Joins WNBA Leadership Change Bandwagon
After Lynx star guard Napheesa Collier made headlines on her call for change in WNBA leadership on Tuesday, Hull sided with Collier during the shootaround before Game 5. Collier called out Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and league officials for not putting the players first in decisions.
“It’s exciting to see players speak out and speak up about what’s going on in our league, and where our league can go, and changes that need to be made,” Hull told reporters on Tuesday. “I know you’re talking about Phee’s interview, and I think, when it comes down to it, I think I agree with everything she said.”
“This is a really important time in the league, and changes need to be made. And so you’re seeing her talk about that, and really proud of her for making that statement today,” Hull added. “We’re the players that are driving this change.”
“And regardless of how it’s said, I think the messaging stands the same from the player’s perspective. Things need to change, reffing needs to change, leadership needs to change,” Hull concluded. “We need change to mirror [the league’s growth]. And I think where the players see the league going is different than where leadership sees the league going, and somehow [we] need that to align,” she added.”
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