Sophie Cunningham gets skeptical about WNBA's expansion plan with call for smarter location choices: "Miami would've been great"

The WNBA is gradually expanding, and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham isn't that excited. The league announced on Monday that it will expand to 18 teams. There will be new teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. These teams will join the Golden State Valkyries, who began play in May.

Also, the expansion includes the Toronto Tempo, which will have its inaugural season in 2026. A Portland team will also be part of the WNBA next season.

Following the expansion to Toronto and Portland, 2027 will be a year when expansions will take a short break. In 2028, the league expansion will resume in Cleveland. Detroit will follow a year later, and Philadelphia will start its season in 2030.

On Tuesday, Cunningham was asked about her thoughts on the WNBA's expansion.

"There are more opportunities, so I get that aspect, but I also think you want to listen to your players too," Cunningham told reporters. "Where do they want to play? Where are they going to get excited to play and draw fans? I do think that Miami would've been a great one, everyone loves Florida. Nashville's an amazing city.

"I'm not so sure what the process is there. But at the end of the day, you also want to make sure you're not expanding the league too fast, that's also another thing. You don't want teams to totally dominate and have teams that aren't. ... I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or (Cleveland)."

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Miami had a WNBA team from 2000 to 2002 called the Miami Sol. However, commissioner Cathy Engelbert has not discussed whether Sol could soon rejoin the league.

Florida has proven to be a top destination in the NBA, and the WNBA could explore bringing back the Sol soon.

Donovan Mitchell responds to Sophie Cunningham's take

Sophie Cunningham is concerned about where WNBA players might end up staying for an entire season with the newest expansion news. As her take went viral, NBA star Donovan Mitchell didn't have a lot to say when he brought up how great a place Cleveland is during summer.

"Cleveland in the summertime 🔥🔥," the Cleveland Cavaliers star tweeted.

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When the WNBA started, Cleveland had a team called the Rockers. They were part of the league from 1997 to 2003. Since basketball has been one of the main attractions due to the Cavaliers and LeBron James, more fans have been interested and active in supporting.

The city of Cleveland is excited to prove Sophie Cunningham wrong as they get ready to be part of the WNBA in 2028.

About the author

Reign Amurao specializes in basketball at Sportskeeda, bringing 3 years of experience to his role and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication.

A fervent supporter of the Phoenix Suns, Reign was hooked to their electrifying "Seven-Seconds-Or-Less" offense, which epitomizes high-paced and high-intensity basketball. For Reign, Steve Nash is the ultimate floor general, and he believes Boris Diaw could've been the next Magic Johnson if he had a bit more discipline.

From Reign's perspective, Anthony Edwards is a 90s player stuck in modern times, and Gregg Popovich is an ultimate winner with unparalleled success and leadership in the sport.

Reign's expertise lies in NBA history, particularly the significant moments and trends of the 2000s and 2010s. He prioritizes in-depth research using only credible sources to maintain accuracy in his articles, and avoids misleading topics.

Beyond basketball, Reign enjoys gaming with friends and watches comedy shows and films.

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Edited by Ribin Peter