Perhaps Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is just not familiar with Detroit.

When asked about Monday’s news that the WNBA plans to expand to 18 teams, with franchises coming to Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia in the next five years, the 28-year-old guard out of Missouri didn’t seem thrilled about the locations of a few of the teams.

“You have to listen to your players, too,” Cunningham said. “Where do they want to play? Where are they going to get excited to play and draw fans?… I don’t know how excited people are going to Detroit or (Cleveland).”

Cunningham suggested cities such as Miami, Nashville, and Kansas City as alternative options that would have been better for the players and fans.

Detroit and Cleveland have a history in the WNBA, with the Detroit Shock winning championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008 during their 12 seasons in the league before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma.. 

With numbers and information at its disposal, the City of Detroit’s official account on X could not let Cunningham off the hook.

“ The last time we were home to a WNBA team (Detroit Shock), we ranked top five in attendance for five straight seasons, No. 1 in attendance for three straight seasons, and set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 fans at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals,” the post read.

More: Former Shock star Deanna Nolan ‘feels great’ about the WNBA’s return to Detroit

The City of Detroit’s account also mentioned recent successes, such as a record 775,000 fans turning out for the 2024 NFL Draft downtown.

“Detroit is a sports town, ” The City of Detroit’s post continued. “We’re sure we’ll see the same excitement for the WNBA returning.”

In Cunningham’s defense, she might not be too familiar with Detroit. This is only her first year in Indiana after she spent her first six seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. She averages 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game so far this season. 

When it comes to sports in Detroit, there may be only one Cunningham (Cade) whose opinion matters.

tfinley@detroitnews.com

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