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Indiana Fever forward Sophie Cunningham offered an interesting take Tuesday on the cities the WNBA selected for its three expansion franchises.
While speaking to the media, Cunningham — acquired by the Fever in an offseason trade with the Mercury — suggested other cities she believes are worthy of being awarded a WNBA franchise following Monday’s announcement about Cleveland, Philadelphia and Detroit.
“I also think that you want to listen to your players, too,” Cunningham said. “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]. Everyone loves Florida.
“Nashville is an amazing city. Kansas City, amazing opportunity. There’s a huge arena downtown that no one’s using,” Cunningham continued, adding that the NWSL’s Current — co-owned by Chiefs quarterback and Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany — draws fans to Kansas City.
“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].”
The WNBA is expanding to Cleveland in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030, bringing the league to 18 teams.
The league previously announced Portland and the Toronto Tempo as expansion teams in 2026.
The Detroit Shock left its imprint, winning three championships as one of the league’s initial franchises from 1999-2008.
Cunningham, who’s known for her bold commentary on and off the court, ruffled some feathers with her remarks.
The City of Detroit replied to Cunningham on X and reminded her of the history of women’s basketball in the Motor City.
“The last time we were home to a WNBA team (Detroit Shock) we ranked top five in attendance for five straight seasons, No. 1 in attendance for three straight seasons and set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 fans at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals,” the City of Detroit account wrote.
“Additionally more than 775,000 people were excited to come to Detroit for the 2024 NFL draft. Detroit is a sports town. We’re sure we’ll see the same excitement for the WNBA returning.”
There have been critiques over the league’s rapid expansion and growth, as some players have advocated for more roster spots before team expansions.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Monday that “the demand for women’s basketball has never been higher” and that she’s confident these new teams will reshape the landscape of the sport.
