The WNBA is expanding its reach into three different cities. Among them is Cleveland, home of the one-time Cleveland Rockers, one of the original franchises from the inaugural 1997 season.

However, Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham believes that players won't be excited about playing in expansion cities such as Cleveland and Detroit.

In turn, fans and others in the league criticized Cunningham for her remarks.

Meanwhile, an old clip of her Fever teammate Caitlin Clark is going viral in which she praised the city just before the 2024 Final Four.

During a pre-tournament press conference, Clark, then with Iowa, had a few nice things to say about the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“I had never been to Cleveland before, it has been awesome. If lowkey feels like just a bigger version of my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa… we're happy to be in Cleveland,” she said.

On Tuesday, the City of Cleveland took to X to post the clip in response to Cunningham.

“Sophie, your teammate doesn’t seem to think Cleveland is too bad!” they posted. “We’re proud to have been chosen to host a WNBA team and any player who comes here will feel that legendary passion Cleveland sports fans show our teams!”

The history of the WNBA in Cleveland

In 1997, the Cleveland Rockers were one of the WNBA's original franchise. They were a staple in the league until 2003.

They got their name after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

During their duration, the Rockers produced some notable talent including Lynette Woodard and Isabelle Fijalkowski.

In 1998, the Rockers went 20-10 and won the Eastern Conference title. However, they were defeated by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA semifinals, before the playoffs split the conferences by East and West.

The city will return to the WNBA for the 2028 season.

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