The WNBA made waves this week with news that it’s expanding to three new cities over the next few years. Cleveland will be getting a team in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030, taking the league to 18 teams in total, reported Fox8. But not everyone’s thrilled with the picks — and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham didn’t hold back when she shared her thoughts.
Chatting with reporters, Cunningham questioned the league’s decision to head to cities like Cleveland and Detroit, saying she’d have preferred somewhere with a bit more energy and appeal, both for players and fans. “You want to listen to your players, too. Like, where do they want to play?” she said. “Where are they going to get excited to play and draw fans? I think Miami would have been a great one. Nashville is an amazing city. Kansas City, amazing opportunity. There’s a huge arena downtown that nobody is using.”
While she acknowledged the challenges in expanding the league responsibly, she didn’t seem convinced the WNBA made the right call. “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’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].”
That didn’t go unnoticed. Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper was quick to clap back, clearly unimpressed by Cunningham’s take. “You ever been there? Pretty good place to play, well not for you now,” he said, taking a not-so-subtle jab at the Fever star.
Detroit’s official city account also jumped into the fray, reminding everyone that the Motor City has a proud WNBA history. “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 account posted, clearly not taking the criticism lying down.
It’s sparked a fierce online debate, with fans and locals defending their cities while others are questioning whether more glamorous destinations might have made more sense for the league’s future. Either way, the WNBA’s expansion plan has got people talking, which, for better or worse, may be exactly what the league wanted.
You ever been there? Pretty good place to play, well not for you now. https://t.co/YJEKazHkJE
— Dan Skipper (@DanSkipper70) July 1, 2025