Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham is back with more takes on United States cities, and this time, Los Angeles is the target.
Cunningham, 29, took to TikTok amid an offseason trip to California where she unloaded on the people of the city.
“So, I promise you I’m not being judgmental because I think there’s a place for legit everyone, and some people thrive in different areas. I don’t think I’m an LA girl,” she said in the video posted on Saturday, February 14. “Like, at all. It’s just weird. People don’t dance. People don’t even like, say, ‘Hi.’ They have no personalities. They have no personalities, and they all look the same. It’s weird. Please tell me that’s not weird.”
She continued, “All these personalities you see on like Instagram and TikTok, all these famous influencers, I like how they found a space where they can feel like themselves and gain confidence online, but if you can’t speak to people or look people in the eye, like in person … is that not weird? Am I weird? I mean, I know I’m weird, but like, people get so used to talking into their phones.”
“Talk to someone in person,” she concluded. “And look like yourself. Ugh.”
Naturally, Cunningham’s comments drew a mixed reaction.
“I’m from San Diego. Wouldn’t go to LA, as you’re spot on. Different culture,” one fan wrote, causing Cunningham to reply, “like are you for real 😳”
“Very much for real,” the follower replied. “Different culture, different social economic zone. Very expensive to go out. I find it a little “plastic.”
Another fan, however, suggested that Cunningham shouldn’t “hang out with the all stars and influencers. That has nothing to do with LA.”
Cunningham memorably drew criticism last summer after the WNBA announced Detroit and Cleveland as expansion franchises. At the time, she told reporters she didn’t “know how excited [players] are to be going to Detroit or Cincinnati,” confusing the two Ohio cities.
After officials in both cities pushed back, Cunningham clarified her comments in a media availability, praising Detroit and Cleveland for their roles in helping the league grow in its infancy. (Detroit was home to the Shock, who are now the Dallas Wings, while Cleveland had the Rockers.)
“All I was getting at is, like, [Nashville’s] Broadway, the off-court lifestyle, and so I think that is intriguing,” she said. “That’s all I was getting at. I’m thankful for what they’ve done, for our history of the sport.”
Cunningham also called out a popular criticism of each upcoming WNBA franchise, which also includes teams in Toronto, Portland and Philadelphia — they are all NBA markets.
“I think it’d be fun to kind of get some teams outside the NBA market,” she said. “I do think there is a benefit when you do have an NBA team. But that’s all I was getting at. I think people 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, and that’s kind of why I’m hinting at, Broadway sounds fun. All that I was saying.”
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