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The WNBA is currently the fastest-growing sports league in the country, and it continued that growth with the announcement of three new expansion franchises on Monday. But one of the WNBA’s biggest stars, Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever, did the league no favors with her comments on the additions.
After adding the Golden State Valkyries in 2025, as well as the Toronto Tempo and an unnamed Portland team in 2026, the league announced that teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia would join the mix in the coming years. The three teams paid a record $250 million expansion fee to join the WNBA, and will do so in 2028, 2029, and 2030 respectively.
But while fans are excited about the move, Cunningham is not.
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
“I also think that you want to listen to your players, too,” Cunningham said of the expansion locations via Yahoo Sports. “Where do they want to play? Where are they going to get excited to play?”
I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or Cincinnati,” she added, incorrectly naming the Ohio city, which is going to add a franchise.
Beyond the fact that Cunningham plays in Indiana, which, while a nice enough place, is hardly the cultural center of the world, it’s also just an awful look as a representative of the league.
For one, from 1998-2009, the Detroit Shock were perhaps the most successful franchise in the WNBA before leaving for Tulsa and ultimately becoming the Dallas Wings. But also, both Detroit and Cleveland have great fans who love basketball. At a time when the league is growing and excitement has never been higher, why would you rain on that parade?
Cunningham has gained an immense platform since joining Caitlin Clark in Indiana this year. (That’s the same Caitlin Clark who seems to like Cleveland a good bit.) She should be using that platform to promote the growth of the league, not downplay it.
We have to imagine WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert might be making a quick call to Cunningham in the coming days to talk things out. Because right now, Cunningham has created a mess that was completely unnecessary.