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The Los Angeles Sparks piled onto the Indiana Fever on Saturday night following their 89-87 win.
The Sparks’ social media account took a swipe at their opponents and used Sophie Cunningham’s comments about WNBA expansion as its premise.
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Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, left, and Los Angeles Sparks’s JulieVanloo battle for a loose ball, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
“List of cities Indiana has beef with: Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles,” the post read.
The WNBA announced that Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia would be receiving franchises over the next few years, adding to Toronto and Portland. Cunningham wondered aloud whether fans would want to flock to the arenas in Cleveland and Detroit.
“I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or (Cleveland),” she said on July 1.
Cunningham clarified her comments while speaking to reporters on Thursday, and defended “blue-collar working people” associated with Cleveland and Detroit.
Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham reacts after hitting a shot and getting fouled during the Los Angeles Sparks game, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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“First of all, I know the history of the WNBA. 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,” she said. “All I was really getting at was Broadway, the off-court lifestyle and so I think that is really intriguing. I think Miami’s intriguing. That’s all I was getting at.”
“I think it would be fun to get some teams outside of the NBA market…. I think people totally misread the 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 why I’m kind of hinting at Broadway sounds fun, Miami sounds fun. That’s all I was getting at.”
Cunningham also addressed the backlash to her comments.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham works the floor against the Wings on Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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“The people that hype you up are going to be the same people pushing you down. And so, for me, I always just kind of stay right here in the middle. I think that was my personal opinion,” she said.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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