​There’s been some bad blood between the Indiana Fever and the Phoenix Mercury this season. Despite one particularly rough foul earlier in the year, both teams appeared to be on their best behavior during Thursday’s rematch. That said, the contest didn’t lack a little mischief. While the players kept things civil, Mercury fans decided it would be entertaining to troll Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during the game.
When Cunningham was called for an offensive foul, Mercury supporters pointed at her in unison. It was a clear callback to Cunningham’s viral moment with Mercury star DeWanna Bonner from earlier in the season. In a tense game against Phoenix, Cunningham and Bonner got into a verbal exchange on the court. But rather than engage in a heated exchange, Cunningham simply pointed at Bonner. The image spread quickly, becoming a viral moment that Cunningham addressed multiple times as the season progressed.
So, as the Fever narrowly defeated the Mercury on their home floor Thursday night, Cunningham wanted the crowd to know she heard their taunts. After the final buzzer, when the Fever gathered on the court to celebrate a three-point win, Cunningham directed a message to the stands, signaling that she had heard the fans’ efforts earlier in the contest.
Before joining Indiana, Cunningham spent the first six seasons of her career in Phoenix, a detail that added extra layers to the evening’s back-and-forth. The Fever managed the close win over the Mercury without Caitlin Clark, who sat out the back-to-back as part of her recovery from a back issue. Kelsey Mitchell starred for Indiana, pouring in 29 points in the victory, while Cunningham contributed nine points—counting the late-game tally she added after the game.
That win pushed Indiana to 13-9 on the season, keeping them firmly in the playoff mix. If Cleveland or some other result altered the standings, the Fever’s path might have shifted, but the current record places Indiana in a position to contend as the regular season presses on. For Cunningham, the moment carried more weight because it could serve as the final image of this year’s Fever-Mercury rivalry unless the teams meet again in the postseason. With the regular-season schedule concluded for the series, Cunningham appeared to have the last laugh—at least for now—capturing a lasting moment in what has been a season full of rivalrous energy between these two franchises.