The WNBA has plenty of things going on these days. The season is in full swing, and Caitlin Clark is still making headlines everyday despite her groin injury keeping her in cheerleader mode. Meanwhile, the impending collective bargaining agreement is an underlying source of tension that can’t be denied.
WNBA Expansion By 2030
In latest news, the league has announced further expansion in the near future in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia each in line to join by 2030 or earlier. With the league set to grow its influence, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham recently had some controversial remarks on the subject of expansion.
Sophie Cunningham Says WNBA Players Don’t Want To Play In Urban Cities Like Detroit and Cleveland
Not sure when Cunningham, who is a solid veteran player, but not considered among the league’s elite became a spokesperson for the WNBA. Her notoriety has blossomed in recent months, as she became a main player in the Caitlin Clark wars that dominate the sports landscape at least once every 24-hours. Cunningham was asked about the expansion, and she suggested that there are players around the WNBA who might not be overwhelmed with some of the new cities. Then she took it a step further and straight up named Detroit and Cincinnati (She actually meant Cleveland).
Her targeting of those urban cities with large pockets of Black residents sent some people into a frenzy. Especially NBA players with ties to Cleveland such as Tristan Thompson spent 11 seasons of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, won a championship with LeBron James and took to X to immediately challenge Cunningham’s comments.
NBA Player Tristan Thompson and Others Blasts Cunningham’s Comments On Cleveland and Detroit
“Cleveland is an unbelievable sports town, with great people, great restaurants, and its great for outdoor/nature activities. Still surprises me to see people say stuff like this,” Thompson posted on X.
Cavs star guard Donovan Mitchell and Cavaliers majority owner/business mogul Dan Gilbert, who will also own the WNBA’s Cleveland franchise and former Cavaliers star Ron Harper (who averaged 19.4 points per game for his career with the team) also took umbrage with Cunningham’s weird assumption.
Jemele Hill shot back with a tweet reminding Cunningham that she plays in Indiana, which isn’t exactly a booming, big-city market.
“And she’s unfortunately too young to know Detroit was ranked top 5 in attendance when we had the Shock and won three titles in 6 years,” Hill wrote. “I’m fully aware of Indiana’s basketball pedigree but she took a silly shot at Detroit for no reason, when she should be embracing league expansion because of what it means for players.”
Thompson agrees. He had a tremendous career in Cleveland, made tons of money and enjoyed a soap opera relationship with Khloe Kardashian that still moves social media to this day. He understands as much as anyone how tremendous a basketball town Cleveland can be. When Cleveland won the first title in franchise history in 2016, Thompson was at his peak, averaging 9.0 rebounds and 4.1 offensive rebounds per game in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.
“Come on Sophie, obviously you haven’t been to Detroit or Cleveland… you should support your Midwest sisters in this league and these two great cities that you’re going to come to know and love very shortly,” Gilbert owner warned.
Nancy Lieberman Challenges Sophie Cunningham’s Comments
Or ask Nancy Lieberman, who told TMZ Sports, just talk to King James or Grant Hill about what it’s like to play in Cleveland or Detroit.
“I don’t know if it’s cities that she maybe has frequented,” Lieberman, a legendary figure in women’s hoops said. “But if she were there, she would understand the fandom and the support and how loyal those cities are to their teams.”
Sophie Cunningham Is Living Her Best Life
Cunningham was really getting heat from all directions, but she clearly could care less, as evidenced by the postgame live celebration, where she twerked for all of her fans.
Fans were even less inclined to respect what she was saying after that.
“You can just tell Sophie Cunningham is socially and politically uneducated. She barely has any awareness she should stop speaking,” said one fan.
“Yet another reminder that Sophie Cunningham is an awful person and a MAGA bigot. In case everyone forgets the next time she cries about no one liking her,” said another netizen.
Sophie Cunningham Leaning Into Sexy Enforcer For Caitlin Clark Role
Cuningham is undoubtedly enjoying her new found fame as Caitlin Clark’s sexy enforcer. Her fight with Jacy Sheldon, in defense of Clark, who initiated the brawl, helped Cunningham’s popularity explode, especially among the Caitlin Clark cultists and anti-WNBA instigators. Cunningham went from less than a half million followers to her current 1M on Instagram.
Add in the rumored scandal of her sleeping with the married general manager of the Phoenix Suns and the expression bad publicity is still publicity fits Cunningham to a tee.
Now that people are shoving microphones in her face daily as if she’s an extension of Cailtin Clark — which is something that has never happened to the career 7.6 ppg scorer before — she must think before she talks. Be a light of unity for the league. Definitely don’t start pooping on cities throughout the country.
It’s very counterproductive to what the WNBA is trying to accomplish with the expansion.
Either Cunningham isn’t too bright, or her ego is getting way out of control and she believes that the world really wants to hear what she’s got to say.m
