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WNBA coming back to Detroit: Expansion franchise announced for 2029 season
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- WNBA coming back to Detroit: Expansion franchise announced for 2029 season
Professional women's basketball — finally — is returning to the Motor City.
Detroit will receive a WNBA expansion team in 2029, the league announced Monday, June 30.
The WNBA also is expanding into two other cities with Cleveland receiving a franchise in 2028 followed by Philadelphia in 2030. The league already announced two new teams for 2026: Portland and the Toronto Tempo. The Golden State Valkyries debuted this season.
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The yet-to-be-named team will revive a legacy started by the Detroit Shock , which won three championships as one of the WNBA's initial expansion franchises from 1999-2008. Pistons owner Tom Gores, backed by a large team of high-profile investors , submitted a formal bid for Detroit to receive a new franchise in January.
A trademark for Detroit Shock, which had expired after the team moved, was registered to the Women's Basketball League on Feb. 4, 2025 . The WNBA has applied for trademarks for several former teams' names .
Logo for the Detroit WNBA expansion effort.
"This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA," Gores, who will be the controlling owner of the new franchise, said in a statement to the Free Press. "Today marks the long-hoped-for return of the WNBA to a city with deep basketball roots and a championship tradition.
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"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."
Detroit's new WNBA team owners paid a $250 million expansion fee, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to the Free Press. The Golden State Valkyries paid $50 million in 2023 ahead of joining this season. Every WNBA team's valuation is up more than 100% in the past year, according to a Sportico report in June.
The incoming WNBA team will be supported by a new practice facility and headquarters to be built at the former Uniroyal site on the Detroit riverfront, just west of the Belle Isle bridge. The facility also will be utilized as a youth sports academy and multisport complex including basketball and volleyball courts, football, soccer fields and more.
Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem , an investor for the new team, said the WNBA practice facility will rival the Pistons' new practice facility in New Center, which opened in 2019. They will play home games at Little Caesars Arena.
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"Our commitment in our WNBA bid is that we would build something equally good for the women, and that's our commitment and we're well underway on the analysis and planning to have it ready by the start of the season in 2029," Tellem said. "This is a huge win. "I can't understate that. To bring them back, it's gonna create economic opportunity, it's gonna further bring our community together, which it always does around sports, and it's gonna be great for economic development, our restaurants, our hotels, our nightlife downtown, bringing visitors to the city.
"Also showcasing all the great things that Detroit is doing, what's happening in Detroit. We couldn't be more excited about this opportunity and 2029 seems like a long way off but it's going to come fast. I just can't wait for when the team takes the court."
The WNBA regular season goes from May-September, with all 13 teams playing 44 games in 2025. The playoffs run through mid-October.
TRENDING: 5 things that have changed about WNBA since the Detroit Shock left
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WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league's expansion to Detroit comes at a time where they're seeing historic growth in viewership, attendance and merchandise sales. The WNBA will have 18 teams after its latest expansion round concludes in 2030. She also highlighted Detroit's documented support for women's basketball in the past.
During the Shock's championship run, they were top three in attendance for five consecutive seasons and No. 1 for three straight seasons.
Detroit Shock forwards Swin Cash, left, and Cheryl Ford try to contain their joy in the final seconds of the game against the Los Angeles Sparks at the WNBA Finals on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford and Deanna Nolan were among the stars who helped to lead the Shock to titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008. They were coached by former Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer from 2002-09, with Rick Mahorn taking over during the final season before the team departed Detroit for Tulsa ahead of the 2010 season .
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After Pistons and Shock owner Bill Davidson died in 2009, his wife, Karen, began liquidating his estate's assets and both the Shock and Pistons were sold. The Shock lost $2 million in their final season in the Motor City, Tom Wilson, then the president of Palace Sports and Entertainment, said at the time, with an economic downturn in the Detroit metropolitan area playing a role.
"The Shock has been a true force in the WNBA, but the fact of the matter is that the economic realities have caused us to make this decision," Wilson said.
Today, the Shock are known as the Dallas Wings.
It's not yet clear if the yet-to-be-named Detroit WNBA team will reclaim the "Shock" name. But the history will remain intact, Engelbert said.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert talks to the media before the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards, April 14, 2025 in New York.
"Detroit won three championships in six years when they were previously part of The W, and it's been an integral part of the history of The W," Engelbert said. "This next chapter will be new and refreshed and will be something special."
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CELEBRATION: 2003 WNBA champion Detroit Shock: 'We were selfless'
The investors backing the effort include Jared Goff, Grant Hill, Chris Webber, Lions principal owner Sheila Hamp and her husband Steve, General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra and her husband Tony, legendary recording artist Eminem and many others .
"We have brought together an impressive array of investors who reflect the strength and diversity of Detroit," Gores said. "I'm excited about what we can accomplish together to advance women's professional sports and inspire a new generation of fans. I'm grateful to our exceptional investor group, Commissioner Engelbert, and the WNBA for their trust in our vision and commitment to the people of Detroit."
Correction: The WBL owns the trademark rights to the Detroit Shock name. A previous version of this story stated the WNBA owned the trademark.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit WNBA expansion team: What we know about franchise return
