Nancy Lieberman is not here for any Motor City slander.
Videos by FanBuzz
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
The Hall of Famer and former Detroit Shock coach took issue with recent comments from Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who appeared to dismiss Detroit as a desirable expansion destination for the WNBA.
Cunningham, asked about the league's newest markets, quipped, "I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit," while offering similarly lukewarm reactions to Cleveland and Philadelphia.
Lieberman, a pioneer of the women's game and one of its most respected voices, made clear she didn't appreciate the tone.
"You might wanna talk to LeBron, you might wanna talk to Grant Hill," Lieberman told TMZ Sports. "You might wanna talk to Julius [Erving], Chuck [Barkley], Allen Iverson."
Lieberman, now 67, played and coached in Detroit during the Shock's early WNBA years and has remained close to the sport as a coach in the BIG3 and a broadcaster for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. She emphasized that cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Philadelphia have long histories of passionate sports fans and loyal support.
"If she were there," Lieberman said of Cunningham, "she would understand the fandom and the support and how loyal those cities are to their fanbase."
Detroit was recently announced as one of three cities slated for WNBA expansion, with its team expected to begin play in 2029. The move marks a return for a city that previously hosted the Shock from 1998 until the franchise relocated to Tulsa in 2009.
Lieberman, for her part, is open to returning to the sidelines in the city she once called home.
"Yes, I'm always open to the possibility to help women's basketball and the team I'm part of," she said when asked if she would consider joining Detroit's future WNBA coaching staff.
Lieberman, nicknamed "Lady Magic," is enshrined in multiple halls of fame, including the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She led the BIG3's Power to a championship in 2018 and remains an influential figure in the development of women's basketball.
As for Cunningham, there's still time for a change of heart. Detroit's WNBA return is nearly four years away, which leaves plenty of room for mended fences — or at least, a more thoughtful scouting report.
