Jemele Hill continues to go to bat for the new WNBA expansion franchise in Detroit.
A day after Hill called the Shock’s return to her hometown “incredibly meaningful,” The Atlantic writer and former ESPN host defended Detroit against criticism from Indiana Fever enforcer Sophie Cunningham.
The controversial role player, known most recently for an ejection that stemmed from defending Caitlin Clark, was asked on Tuesday about the league’s plans to expand to Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia by 2030. Cunningham, who is also a team rep for the WNBA players’ association, questioned the league’s choices for new markets, arguing that players will avoid the smaller Midwest cities.
Hill wasn’t having it.
“Sis, you play in Indiana,” Hill wrote on X. “No disrespect.”
After followers reminded Hill that basketball is popular in Indiana, she doubled down. In an effort to make the case for Detroit getting a team, the former Detroit Free Press reporter highlighted the Shock’s success during its first run in the WNBA.
“…she’s unfortunately too young to know Detroit was ranked top 5 in attendance when we had the Shock, and won three titles in 6 years,” Hill said. “I’m fully aware of Indiana’s basketball pedigree but she took a silly shot at Detroit for no reason, when she should be embracing league expansion because of what it means for players.”
And she’s unfortunately too young to know Detroit was ranked top 5 in attendance when we had the Shock, and won three titles in 6 years.
I’m fully aware of Indiana’s basketball pedigree but she took a silly shot at Detroit for no reason, when she should be embracing league… https://t.co/AwbuplLYNl
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 1, 2025
Previously, Jemele Hill described the Shock’s return in 2029 as a symbol of “Detroit’s overall resurgence,” showing just how deeply she cares about the issue. Hill is likely not the only one. The Shock and the Pistons were both incredibly successful and popular during the 2000s, declining in conjunction with the city’s troubles after the Great Recession.
The Shock will return as the Pistons’ future looks hopeful again, under the same ownership. Detroit made the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2019. Hill aptly notes that getting a new WNBA franchise symbolizes how the city is rising again.
At the same time, Cunningham’s stance that Kansas City or Nashville would be more desirable for athletes than Detroit or Cleveland is hardly a universal assumption. Miami, the other example Cunningham suggests, hosted a WNBA franchise starting in 2000. It folded after three seasons.
It is fair to wonder whether the WNBA was smart to put teams in small Midwest markets. Perhaps athletes will prefer Los Angeles or New York over these new teams, just as they do in most sports.
But to Hill’s point, Detroit and Cleveland are home to proud WNBA legacies. The new teams should rejoin the league to much fanfare locally and in the wider tradition of women’s basketball.