Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has addressed her controversial comments surrounding the WNBA's new expansion cities amid heavy-handed backlash from the sports world.

Following news of the league's expansion plans, Cunningham threw shade at Cleveland and Detroit in particular, calling them cities that fans may not be that excited about when it comes to growing women's basketball. Cunningham instead named Miami, Nashville and Kansas City as her preferred pick of cities with "amazing opportunity."

The Fever guard has since received an onslaught of criticism for her disparaging comments. Pro athletes from Cleveland and Detroit (Cavaliers players Donovan Mitchell and Tristan Thompson, Lions tackle Dan Skipper) clapped back at Cunningham, as did a few women's basketball icons including Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie.

On Thurday, Cunningham issued a clarification to her comments stressing that it was her "personal opinion." While she didn't exactly apologize for what she said, she acknowledged the historical relevance of Cleveland's and Detroit's former WNBA franchises (the Rockers and the Shock).

"First of all, I know the history behind the WNBA. I know that both of those cities have had teams before, and they got us to where we're at," Cunningham said. "All I was really getting at is the off-court lifestyle. And so I think that is really intriguing, I think Miami is intriguing, that's all I was getting at. I'm thankful for what [Cleveland and Detroit's WNBA teams] have done for the history of our sport, I think it'd be fun to get some teams outside the NBA market.

"I think people totally misread that 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. That's why I'm hinting at, Broadway [in Nashville] sounds fun, Miami sounds fun, all I was getting at."

Cunningham went on to share her thoughts on how off-court lifestyle plays a factor in where players want to play:

"I think for a lot of people, they like balance," continued Cunningham. "A lot of people are trying to have families nowadays too, and so I do think that that balance is super important, especially for mental health."

Cunningham has found herself at the center of more than a few polarizing moments so far this WNBA season, from her retaliation foul defending Caitlin Clark to her recent villain quote about teams being extra motivated to play the Fever.

"People are going to love me, people are going to hate me, I think that's with anyone. So that's just what it is," Cunningham said.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fever's Sophie Cunningham Clarifies Comments on WNBA Expansion to Cleveland, Detroit.

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