The WNBA is headed back to Detroit, but not everyone is rolling out the welcome mat.
During a recent interview, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham didn’t hold back her opinion on the league’s expansion cities, which include Detroit (2029), Cleveland (2028), and Philadelphia (2030). Instead of celebrating the growth of women’s basketball, Cunningham threw cold water on Detroit’s return to the league, leaving fans and players across the Motor City fuming.
TLDR:
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham threw shade at Detroit, questioning why the league would expand there.
She suggested cities like Miami or Nashville were better fits, saying, “I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit.”
Her comments sparked backlash, including a sharp response from Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper, who replied, “You ever been there? Pretty good place to play, well not for you now.”
Detroiters, and the internet, weren’t having it.
Dan Skipper Sophie Cunningham
Cunningham’s words lit a fuse.
“You want to listen to your players, too,” she said. “Where do they want to play? Are they going to get excited and draw fans? I do think that Miami would’ve 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 is using.”
Then came the part that set social media on fire:
“I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or Cincinnati,” Cunningham said as quoted by Pride of Detroit.
Almost instantly, her comments began to circulate on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Detroit sports talk shows. Her take didn’t sit well with the many locals who have spent the past decade watching Detroit rise from the ashes, especially as a sports town.
Fever star Sophie Cunningham on the WNBA expanding to multiple new cities over the next few years:
"I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]" pic.twitter.com/pncwYpMar3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 1, 2025
Dan Skipper Delivers the Knockout Punch
And then came Dan Skipper.
The Detroit Lions’ 6-foot-10 offensive tackle jumped in with a message for Cunningham that perfectly captured the city’s energy:
“You ever been there? Pretty good place to play, well not for you now.”
In just 17 words, Skipper said what most Detroiters were thinking. His tweet quickly gained traction, as fans and athletes praised him for sticking up for the city. For a town that’s long been counted out, it was the perfect mic-drop moment from one of the team’s biggest protectors, literally and figuratively.
You ever been there? Pretty good place to play, well not for you now. https://t.co/YJEKazHkJE
— Dan Skipper (@DanSkipper70) July 1, 2025
The Bottom Line
Say what you want about Detroit, but it’s no longer a punchline.
The city is alive. It’s building. It’s showing up for its teams. The return of the Shock is another chapter in Detroit’s comeback story, and if you don’t want to be part of it, that’s fine. Just don’t expect a warm welcome when you roll into town.
Sophie Cunningham may have fired the first shot, but Dan Skipper made sure she won’t forget who had the last word.