Image Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

“Not So Sure What the Thought Process Is” – Sophie Cunningham Questions WNBA’s Expansion Logic, Unhappy With Detroit, Cleveland Picks

Sophie Cunningham voices strong disapproval of the WNBA’s latest expansion picks

Image Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The WNBA is set to expand to 18 teams after the league management announced the addition of three more teams on top of the three already in the pipeline. However, certain players are not too excited with the development and have voiced their concerns.

Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham spoke bluntly against the recent expansion. She raised questions about the decision making at the top. Not only this, the point guard suggested that players would be less interested in playing in Detroit and Cleveland.

Sophie Cunningham said, “You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play? Where are they going to get excited to play and draw fans? I do think that Miami would have been a great [location]. Nashville is an amazing city. Kansas City, amazing opportunity.”

Fever star Sophie Cunningham on the WNBA expanding to multiple new cities over the next few years:

"I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]" pic.twitter.com/pncwYpMar3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 1, 2025

She added, “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 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].”

WNBA Expands Despite Rising Player Concerns

The WNBA is expanding rapidly as the league’s global popularity and media traction continues to grow. The Golden State Valkyries, affiliated with the Warriors, became one of the first new WNBA teams to officially debut.Toronto Tempo and Portland are set to debut next season, raising the total team count to 15.

The league’s latest expansion phase includes three new franchises – Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Detroit.With rising advertisements, media offers, the calls for a better CBA agreement is also growing among the league players.

Caitlin Clark has also voiced for pay parity. Many WNBA players argue the league must improve its efforts to ensure long-term financial stability for athletes.