Here is a complete and coherent rewrite of the story in English, with the added detail that Caitlin Clark remained silent and did not defend Sophie Cunningham, despite Cunningham stepping up to protect her:

After a controversial incident during last week’s WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun, Sophie Cunningham found herself at the center of a heated debate and even faced a petition calling for her to be banned from the league.

The controversy erupted when Cunningham committed a hard foul on Connecticut Sun’s Jacy Sheldon in the final seconds of the game. Rather than making a play for the ball, Cunningham’s foul was widely seen as retaliation for Sheldon’s repeated fouls against Caitlin Clark—Indiana Fever’s rising star—earlier in the game. Clark had already been targeted by the Sun’s players, notably being shoved to the ground by Marina Mabrey.

Cunningham’s actions sparked a fierce debate online. Some fans praised her for standing up for her teammate and showing the kind of toughness needed to protect a star player like Clark. Her jersey even sold out in the aftermath of the incident. However, many others condemned Cunningham’s conduct as unsportsmanlike and dangerous, claiming it tarnished the image of the WNBA. A group of fans went as far as launching a petition, which quickly gathered 388 signatures, demanding that the league ban Cunningham for what they described as repeated reckless behavior that put others at risk.

What surprised many was Caitlin Clark’s reaction—or rather, her lack of one. Despite being the player Cunningham had defended, Clark remained silent and did not publicly acknowledge or stand up for her teammate as Cunningham faced a wave of criticism. This silence disappointed some fans, who felt that Clark should have publicly supported Cunningham, thanked her, and helped ease the backlash. Many believed that Clark’s support would have demonstrated team unity and loyalty, especially given the circumstances.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon came to Cunningham’s defense. Hammon stated that, in the competitive environment of the WNBA, it’s important for players to stand up for each other. “I think teammates should step in and defend Caitlin,” Hammon said. “But at the end of the day, there’s too much bumping, too much grabbing, too much fouling that’s not getting called. And people are tired of getting hit.”

Hammon also noted that Clark will have to get used to physical play throughout her career: “She’s a beast… and she’s just going to continue to get better. But she’s a player who you have to be physical with. If you just follow her around, she’s going to cook you for dinner.”

The WNBA has since fined Cunningham for her actions, but the specific amount has not been disclosed.

Sophie Cunningham’s story highlights not only the intensity and challenges of professional women’s basketball but also raises questions about responsibility and solidarity among teammates—especially when one steps up to defend another, only to face the consequences alone.

SEE MORE: Skip Bayless offers ‘painfully honest’ analysis of Caitlin Clark shooting slump

© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is in the slump of her life. After scoring a career-best 25 points in the first half of her return game against the New York Liberty on June 1 (32 points on 7/14 three-point shooting overall) and shooting 4/6 from three against the Connecticut Sun, the Iowa product is just 1/23 from deep over her past three games.

Sports personality Skip Bayless has been one of Clark’s biggest supporters dating back to her Iowa days. However, he chose to discuss her slump on Friday.

“I’ve raved and raved and raved about her, but now I’ve got to be honest,” Bayless said. “She is officially into a deep, deep three-point shooting slump. It’s the worst three-point shooting stretch in WNBA history. She’s over three games, one for her last 23 from three. It’s just getting hard to watch.”

Following her 0/6 performance on Tuesday, she missed the Fever’s next game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday with a groin injury. She’ll now miss Friday night’s game against the Dallas Wings.

“Looking at Caitlin’s impact, she has plummeted to 55th of 61 qualified three-point shooters in the WNBA,” Bayless said. “She’s at 29.5%. That is horrendously bad. She is tied for the league lead in assists per game, no surprise there. But, she is running away with the turnover lead. She actually has five more total turnovers than Angel Reese, who is second.”

Even though she’s been in a deep struggle, Clark remains the leading vote-getter for the upcoming WNBA All-Star game. Head coach Stephanie White gave an update on her health Thursday.

“I think it’s very much a day-to-day thing with how she responds to treatment. I stay in my lane and let our strength and conditioning and our athletic training staff do what they do best. But yeah, found out late last night and we’ll treat it day-to-day.”

As noted, Clark will not play in Indiana’s game against the Wings Friday night, making it two in a row. Her absences are starting to pile up for a Fever team that sits at a 7-8 record, good for ninth among all WNBA teams.

“It just seems like great shooters don’t go through these kind of prolonged slumps,” Bayless said. “Even though it’s just three games, it’s devastatingly wrong and bad. I’m sure some of the veteran stars that have criticized her are shrugging and saying ‘told you,’ When they should be rooting like mad for her to snap out of her slump.”