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WNBA Legend Lisa Leslie Upset Over Sophie Cunningham’s Detroit Comment

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 3:11 PM ET

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham made headlines by denigrating the cities of Detroit and Cleveland when discussing the WNBA's expansion in the coming years.

On Monday, the WNBA announced that the league would be expanding to 18 teams, with new franchises coming to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.

Cunningham then stuck her foot in her mouth, inadvertently or not, by questioning whether players would be interested in playing (and living) in Detroit.

Within the broader context of Cunningham's conversation with the media, she was attempting to highlight other cities that players would have been interested in, such as Miami or Nashville. But in lifting up those cities, the 28-year-old stirred controversy by criticizing the expansion cities.

In response to the public pushback that followed Cunningham's comments, former WNBA star Lisa Leslie left a comment on an Instagram story, sharing her frustrations.

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"Uggghhhh! I need to call a meeting with all the players of the @wnba" said the two-time WNBA champion who is a panelist on the CBS Sports show "We Need To Talk."

Leslie's comment received over 1,100 likes and more than 65 replies.

Cunningham has been thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks because of her actions in defending Caitlin Clark during a game against the Connecticut Sun on June 17.

Clark was poked in the eye by Connecticut guard Jacy Sheldon, and later, Cunningham delivered a hard foul to Sheldon, which led to a verbal altercation between the two teams.

With all the attention surrounding Clark, many Fever fans have rallied around Cunningham since then.

However, Leslie and others might suggest that Cunningham receive more media training, as her comments were lambasted by the Detroit Free Press , Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and many others.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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