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Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham faced criticism for comments about the WNBA choosing Cleveland and Detroit as two of its next markets for expansion. 

The league announced that those two cities and Philadelphia will be getting WNBA teams by the end of 2030 in an announcement earlier this week, prompting Cunningham to question whether players wanted those cities to be chosen for expansion. 

"I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]," Cunningham told reporters on July 1.

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Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas: Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) runs back up the court during the game against the Dallas Wings at the American Airlines Center.  (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)

Cunningham clarified her comments while speaking to reporters on Thursday, and defended "blue-collar working people" associated with Cleveland and Detroit.

"First of all, I know the history of the WNBA. I know that both of those cities have had teams before, and they got us where we’re at, so I’m thankful for that," she said. "All I was really getting at was Broadway, the off-court lifestyle and so I think that is really intriguing. I think Miami’s intriguing. That’s all I was getting at."

"I think it would be fun to get some teams outside of the NBA market . . . . I think people totally misread the 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, and that’s why I’m kind of