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The bond between Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark and the perceived rivalry between Angel Reese and Clark might be two of the biggest stories in the WNBA right now. Amidst Cunningham's recognition as Clark's "protector," a video of her praising both sophomores has resurfaced online.
Last season, the WNBA held its All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. Right after the regular season started, Cunningham appeared in a video by "Visit Phoenix." In a 12-minute-long Q&A, the then-Phoenix Mercury star answered 48 questions, including one involving 2024 rookies.
When the anonymous person behind the camera asked Sophie Cunningham which rookie she was excited to face, she mentioned Cameron Brink, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
"I think everyone knows. She is well known around the world at this point," Cunningham said (Timestamp: 1:40). "But I am gonna go with, Caitlin Clark, I think she's gonna be super special, I also think Cameron Brink is gonna be great and also Angel Reese."
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Cunningham also showered praise on Caitlin Clark for her hard work and had even predicted that she would make the All-Star cut. Sophie wasn't wrong!
Cleveland pulls Caitlin Clark receipt after WNBA expansion comment from Sophie Cunningham
The WNBA recently listed three cities as its next destination for WNBA expansion. Earlier this week, the league announced teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively.
However, Sophie Cunningham wasn't entirely on board with the league's approach. On Tuesday, the Indiana Fever player cautioned against expanding too fast. Moreover, she also thinks that players wouldn't be too keen about going to Cleveland and Detroit.
"I also think that you want to listen to your players, too," Cunningham said. "Where do they want to play? Where are they gonna get excited to play and draw fans?
"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," she added. "It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or Cleveland."
The Fever star received backlash for her comments, and leading the retaliation was the official social media page of "City of Cleveland." The city posted a video of Cunningham's teammate Caitlin Clark speaking highly about the city in 2024.
"I had never been to Cleveland before, it has been awesome," Clark said. " It lowkey feels like just a bigger version of my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa...obviously LeBron James being the face of Cleveland...we're happy to be in Cleveland," Clark had told reporters before 2024 NCAA Final Four which was held in Cleveland.
The city also had a message for the Fever player:
"Sophie, your teammate doesn’t seem to think Cleveland is too bad! 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!"
Notably, both Cleveland and Detroit have been home to WNBA teams in the past, the Cleveland Rockers and the Detroit Shock.
