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As there was some heat thrown at Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham for speaking about the WNBA expansion teams and how players potentially wouldn't be interested in the cities, she has clarified her recent comments. The Fever star in Cunningham would speak about Detroit and Cleveland getting teams, which led to an uproar from fans, but the guard spoke more about what she had said.
Cunningham believes that her comments were misread as throwing shade at the cities involved when she was speaking about how “fun” it would be to get “teams outside the NBA market.” She would also address some of the comments that said that Cunningham was talking down to people in lesser-known cities, but would say that she is from Missouri and plays for Indiana, which is a relatively smaller market than others.
“First of all, I know the history behind the WNBA,” Cunningham said, according to Tony East. “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. All I was getting at is, like, Broadway, the off-court lifestyle, and so I think that is intriguing. That's all I was getting at. I'm thankful for what they've done, for our history of the sport. I think it'd be fun to kind of get some teams outside the NBA market.”
“I do think there is a benefit when you do have an NBA team. But that's all I was getting at,” Cunningham continued. “I think people misread that 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 kind of why I'm hinting at, Broadway sounds fun. All that I was saying.”
Fever wing Sophie Cunningham offers clarifying thoughts about her comments on WNBA expansion from earlier this week: pic.twitter.com/pkXuXywI6E
— Tony East (@TonyREast) July 3, 2025
Fever's Sophie Cunningham on a WNBA player's lifestyle
As the Fever standout in Cunningham has been making headlines since the original comments, she would emphasize the importance of players trying to find a balance between basketball and life outside of the sport. She also highlighted how mental health plays a huge part in it as well.
“I think lifestyle is super important. I think that you're in the gym quite a bit, and during season, you know, you live in the gym,” Cunningham said. “But I think for a lot of people, they like balance. I think a lot of people are trying to have families nowadays, too. And so, I do think that that balance is super important, especially for mental health nowadays.”
Cunningham would not think too much of the reaction, saying that “people that hype you up are going to be the same people who shoot you down.” At any rate, Cunningham and Indiana next face the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday.
