By Bryan Fonseca
The Los Angeles Sparks didn鈥檛 let Sophie Cunningham forget.
Following the Sparks鈥 89-87 win over the Indiana Fever on Saturday, the team wasted no time trolling Cunningham on social media over her comments about the WNBA鈥檚 planned expansion.
鈥淟ist of cities Indiana has beef with: Detroit Cleveland Los Angeles,鈥 the Sparks鈥 official X account posted along with the final score of the game.
This is in reference to Cunningham, a guard for the Fever, who sparked controversy this week when she questioned the excitement around the WNBA鈥檚 planned expansion into Detroit and Cleveland, suggesting alternatives like Miami or Nashville might be more appealing.
鈥淲here do [players] want to play?鈥 she questioned.
鈥淲here are they going to get excited to play and draw fans? I do think that Miami would have been a great one. Like, everyone loves Florida. Nashville is an amazing city. Kansas City 鈥 amazing opportunity,鈥 Cunningham added. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland].鈥
Cunningham鈥檚 comments drew reactions from many, including Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, as well as Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell.
鈥淐ome on Sophie, obviously you haven鈥檛 been to Detroit or Cleveland 鈥 you should support your Midwest sisters in this league and these two great cities that you鈥檙e going to come to know and love very shortly,鈥 Gilbert said.
Mitchell posted 鈥淐leveland in the summertime鈥 with fire emojis.
Cunningham later attempted to clarify her comments.
鈥淔irst 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鈥檙e at, so I鈥檓 thankful for that,鈥 she said. 鈥淎ll I was really getting at was Broadway, the off-court lifestyle and so I think that is really intriguing. I think Miami鈥檚 intriguing. That鈥檚 all I was getting at.
鈥淚 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鈥檚 where I come from. I鈥檓 from Missouri. I get I鈥檓 in Indiana, and that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 kind of hinting at Broadway sounds fun, Miami sounds fun. That鈥檚 all I was getting at.鈥
Cunningham had just four points in the loss, and has broken double figures twice this year.
The Fever are 9-9 this season as their cornerstone Caitlin Clark 鈥 who sat Saturday 鈥 continues to deal with an injury-plagued season.
Cunningham is averaging 5.2 points per game while shooting just 30 percent from deep this season, where she takes the bulk of her shots.