League announces expansion team in Detroit for the 2029 season
The WNBA announced expansion plans through 2030, and it includes a new WNBA team in Detroit for the 2029 season.
Cleveland will be home to a team in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030. Other recent expansion efforts to the growing league include the Golden State Valkyries, which are currently playing their first season, with teams in Toronto and Portland debuting next season.
This won’t be the first time Detroit has called the WNBA home. The Detroit Shock were one of the earliest and most successful franchises in the burgeoning league. The shock debuted in 1998 and won titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008, all coached by Pistons Hall of Famer Bill Laimbeer.
After the death of Pistons owner William Davidson, the team was relocated to Tulsa as the Pistons owners dramatically cut cost in anticipation of an eventual sale.
Tom Gores purchased the Pistons in 2011, and he will be among the owners of the new WNBA franchise in Detroit. The Detroit ownership group includes luminaries such as Chris Webber, Grant Hill, and Jared Goff, who will all be joining Tom Gores and his wife Holly with a stake in the franchise.
“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA,” Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a media release. “Today marks the long-hoped-for return of the WNBA to a city with deep basketball roots and a championship tradition. Detroit played a key role in the league’s early growth, and we’re proud to reignite that legacy as the WNBA ascends to new heights. Our plans will bring new energy, investment and infrastructure to our city and the WNBA, and additional resources to our community.”
The Detroit ownership group says that returning the Shock moniker to the WNBA franchise is under consideration, but that no final decision has been made on what the team will be called.
The team, whatever they will be called, are expected to play in Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit.
There were several cities that bid on a franchise that did not get one, including St. Louis, Austin, Nashville, Houston, Miami, and Charlotte. With attendance, TV ratings, and sponsorship dollars increasing in the WNBA, the expectation is the league is not done expanding.
With the expansion, the WNBA is set to have 18 teams by 2030.