Tristan Thompson responds to Sophie Cunningham: ‘Still surprises me to see people say stuff like this’

The WNBA is looking to expand its league to several new cities in the coming years, with expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia each in line to join by 2030 or earlier. With the league set to grow its influence, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham recently had some controversial remarks on the subject of expansion.

She indicated that there are some players around the WNBA who might not be all that thrilled to play in some of the new cities. In particular, she named Detroit and Cincinnati, making it safe to assume that she meant to say Detroit and Cleveland.

Some people in the NBA sphere with ties to Cleveland have responded. Big man Tristan Thompson, who has spent 11 seasons of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, took issue with the sentiment and responded to what Cunningham had to say with a post on X.

Earlier, Cavs star guard Donovan Mitchell also responded to Cunningham.

The same goes for Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert (who will also own the WNBA team in Cleveland) and former Cavaliers star guard Ron Harper (who averaged 19.4 points per game for his career with the team).

Thompson knows what it’s like to be a part of sports history in the city of Cleveland, as he was a member of the Cavaliers team that won its first title in franchise history in 2016. He made his hay on the glass during Cleveland’s title run, as he averaged 9.0 rebounds and 4.1 offensive rebounds per game in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

He has been a member of the Cavaliers for an overwhelming majority of his time in the NBA and played for the team as recently as this past season, which continued his second stint with the team. Whether or not Thompson’s second Cavaliers tenure will extend into the 2025-26 season is unclear at this time, though. He’s a free agent this offseason.

Cavaliers fans should be encouraged to see that several folks with current or past ties to the Cavaliers organization have come to the defense of the city of Cleveland in light of Cunningham’s comments. Hopefully, the WNBA expansion team coming to Cleveland will enjoy lots of success and be supported by the city’s great basketball fans.