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On June 30, the WNBA announced that it will be adding expansion franchises in three American cities (Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia) over the next five years, concluding in the 2030 season.
When Indiana Fever standout Sophie Cunningham was asked her thoughts on this when speaking with the media on July 1, she expressed criticism for the three cities chosen.
“I also think that you want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play? Where are they gonna get excited to play and draw fans? I do think that Miami would have been a great [location],” Cunningham said.
“I’m not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you’re not expanding our league too fast. I think that that’s also another thing. It’s kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland],” Cunningham concluded.
Fever star Sophie Cunningham on the WNBA expanding to multiple new cities over the next few years:
“I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]” pic.twitter.com/pncwYpMar3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 1, 2025
Cunningham received a ton of criticism for these comments and was even called out by the cities of Detroit and Cleveland.
But Cunningham set the record straight on her sentiment when speaking with the media on July 3.
“All I was really getting at is like, Broadway, the off-court lifestyle. And so I think that’s really intriguing, I think Miami is intriguing, that’s all I was getting at,” Cunningham said, per an X post from Tony East. “I’m thankful for all that [Detroit and Cleveland] has done for our history of the sport. I think it would be fun to kind of get some teams outside the NBA market.
“That’s all I was getting at. I think people totally misread that situation. I would never speak down upon middle-class, blue-collar working people. That’s where I come from. I’m from Missouri, I get I’m in Indiana,” she added.
When talking about the reaction to her comments, Cunningham said, “The people that hype you up are gonna be the same people that shoot you down. So, for me, I always just kind of stay right here in the middle. I think that was my personal opinion.”
Fever wing Sophie Cunningham offers clarifying thoughts about her comments on WNBA expansion from earlier this week: pic.twitter.com/pkXuXywI6E
— Tony East (@TonyREast) July 3, 2025
Surely Cunningham feels relieved by getting to address her comments head-on.
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