Fever's Sophie Cunningham throws shade at expansion cities

Field Level Media|published: Tue 1st July, 16:07 2025

Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Indiana Fever star guard Sophie Cunningham took issue with two of the three expansion cities that will be joining the WNBA.

Cunningham's critical comments during her team's shootaround on Tuesday came one day after commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia would join the league in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively.

"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?" said Cunningham, 28.

"I do think that Miami would have been a great (location). Nashville is an amazing city. Kansas City, amazing opportunity.

"... 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 expansion will push the WNBA to 18 total teams.

"Great demand for WNBA franchises," Engelbert said Monday at a news conference. "There was huge demand. Really proud of what my team has done. Looking forward to future conversations as the league continues to grow."

The league currently stands at 13 teams, with franchises in Toronto and Portland set to enter the WNBA in 2026.

--Field Level Media