Sophie Cunningham hits back at fan who labeled her sister a 'b****' for criticizing WNBA ref

Sophie Cunningham has fired back at a fan who attacked her sister after she defended the WNBA star online. 

Both Cunningham's sister Lindsey and her mom Paula took to social media last week to blast both the league and rival Bria Hartley after the Indiana Fever star was left suffering a nasty injury during Sunday's 99-93 victory over the Connecticut Sun. 

Lindsey hit out at the league in a post on X, furiously accusing the WNBA and its referees of failing to protect its players. 

However, Lindsey's criticism seemingly didn't sit well with everyone as one social media user turned on the former college basketball player. 

Re-sharing Lindsey's tweet, the user posted a video of Cunningham committing a flagrant foul and added their own pointed dig. 

'"Protect athletes" shut up b****,' the user scathingly wrote. 

However, Cunningham wasn't about to stand by and let her sister be attacked, hitting back with her own heated message. 

'...some of us were raised by the words of “don’t bite off more than you can chew” and some of us didn’t. “fafo”,' she posted.

Cunningham was taken to the locker room with a leg problem after wincing in pain on the court during Sunday's win against Connecticut Sun.  

Cunningham, who has been integral to the Fever this season in Caitlin Clark's long absence, was standing under the basket and playing defense when a collision with Sun guard Hartley occurred. 

Hartley was attempting a pass when she collided with the lower leg of Cunningham, who stayed on the court in pain until team personnel helped her to her feet.

The incident left Lindsey seething, as she posted: '@WNBA maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more about hiring officials that are able to call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic.'

She then said she was 'praying' for her sister. But their mom, Paula, also joined in the criticism and accused Hartley of endangering her daughter.

Paula posted in a now-deleted post on X: 'Hartley is a disgruntled player having trouble everywhere she goes; she's plain mean and plays out of control'.

As soon as Hartley made contact with Cunningham's lower right leg, the Fever standout immediately grabbed it and fell to the court. 

When cameras focused back on Cunningham during a stoppage in play, she was visibly yelling in pain. The Fever ruled Cunningham out for the rest of the game with a right knee injury. 

Cunningham had already been assessed with a technical foul in Sunday's game during a tie-up with Leila Lacan. 

The possible serious injury comes at a time when Cunningham's popularity has never been higher, after joining a roster and becoming close with Clark. 

Cunningham celebrated her 29th birthday on Saturday, with the Fever in the thick of the WNBA playoff race.