THE Los Angeles Sparks took a swipe at the Indiana Fever and star Sophie Cunningham after her recent bold comments about the WNBA’s expanded teams.
The Los Angeles Sparks beat the Fever 89-87 on Saturday.
Indiana Fever stars Sophie Cunningham, right, and Sydney Colson high-five during the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday[/caption]
Sparks players Rickea Jackson and Julie Vanloo battle for the ball against Cunningham[/caption]
Last week, Cunningham turned heads when she questioned the decision to choose Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia over more glamorous cities to have their own WNBA franchises in the future.
So, after the victory, the Sparks took to social media and mocked Cunningham over her WNBA remarks.
“List of cities Indiana has beef with: Detroit Cleveland Los Angeles,” the Sparks’ X account posted along with the final score of the game.
Fans reacted to the Sparks’ social media post in the comments.
“It’s insane how petty the WNBA is,” one wrote.
“Ramping up.. things are getting spicy,” another commented.
“That’s an unnecessary post,” a third added.
The guard Cunningham caused fan outrage when she suggested alternative cities like Miami or Nashville might be more intriguing for expanding teams.
“You want to listen to your players. Where do they want to play? Where are they going to get excited to play and draw fans?” Cunningham questioned.
“Miami would have been a great one. Everyone loves Florida. Nashville is an amazing city. Kansas City, amazing opportunity. There’s a huge arena downtown that no one’s using.
“And I think the women’s soccer league is showing that people draw. You don’t want teams to totally dominate then have teams that aren’t.
“It’s a hard situation, but I don’t know how excited people are to go to Detroit or Cleveland.”
Cunningham has since clarified her statement with a new message.
“First of all, I know the history of the WNBA. I know that both of those cities have had team 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.
The 28-year-old Cunningham talking to reporters at a recent press conference[/caption]
“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.
“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.”
Cunningham posted just four points in the loss.
She has recorded double figures just twice this year.
WNBA 2025 All-Star Roster
Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier have been named captains of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.
Guards:
- Paige Bueckers* – Dallas Wings
- Caitlin Clark* – Indiana Fever
- Sabrina Ionescu* – New York Liberty
- Allisha Gray* – Atlanta Dream
- Kelsey Mitchell – Indiana Fever
- Skylar Diggins – Seattle Storm
- Kelsey Plum – Los Angeles Sparks
- Brittany Sykes – Washington Mystics
- Natasha Cloud – New York Liberty
- Jackie Young – Las Vegas Aces
Frontcourt:
- Napheesa Collier* – Minnesota Lynx
- A’ja Wilson* – Las Vegas Aces
- Breanna Stewart* – New York Liberty
- Aliyah Boston* – Indiana Fever
- Nneka Ogwumike* – Seattle Storm
- Satou Sabally* – Phoenix Mercury
- Angel Reese – Chicago Sky
- Kiki Iriafen – Washington Mystics
- Gabby Williams – Seattle Storm
- Alyssa Thomas – Phoenix Mercury
*Voted as a starter
The Fever have been without superstar Caitlin Clark, who was inactive on Saturday.
The 2024 Rookie of the Year has missed more than half of the team’s games due to quad and groin injuries.
