Sophie Cunningham (Photo via Amazon Prime)
Sophie Cunningham, now with the Indiana Fever, recently returned to Phoenix to play against her former team, the Phoenix Mercury, after they traded her during this past offseason.

Cunningham received a warm reception from Phoenix Mercury fans as she returned to her former home on Thursday night.

Her play was outstanding, but her physical appearance would take a hit.

At some point in the second half, Cunningham’s face took some punishment from her former teammates. She got a souvenir to take back with her to Indianapolis under her right eye.

Aside from the black eye, Sophie Cunningham stood out. She led her team with 18 points, shooting an impressive 6-of-9 from the field and knocking down five three-pointers. She added two rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes, putting together one of her best outings in a Fever jersey.

On the other side, the Mercury were led by an 18-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double from All-Star Alyssa Thomas.

Cunningham spent the first six seasons of her professional career in Phoenix, where she averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists over 182 games.

Sophie Cunningham Had a Heated Clash With a Former Teammate

Sophie Cunningham (Photo By Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Tensions erupted during the Indiana Fever’s heavy 95-60 defeat to the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday.

Cunningham stared across the court at DeWanna Bonner, her former Fever teammate now in Mercury orange.

When the Fever was trailing 68-46 in the third quarter, emotions finally boiled over as Bonner aggressively swiped the ball from Cunningham immediately after an inbound pass.

Sophie responded with a hard foul, which triggered an official review.

While the referees huddled to examine the play, Cunningham started jawing at both Bonner and Mercury star Satou Sabally.

Cunningham had to be held back during the verbal exchange.