WNBA to expand to Detroit in 2029: 'It's going to be great'

Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News on Jun 30, 2025

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DETROIT — The WNBA is returning to Detroit.

The WNBA announced Monday morning that Detroit and its ownership group have been awarded an expansion franchise, arriving in 2029. Detroit was home to the Detroit Shock from 1998-2009, winning three WNBA titles, before relocating to Tulsa, Okla.

Led by Tom and Holly Gores, Detroit formally submitted an expansion bid in January to bring a franchise back to Detroit.

“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA,” Gores said in a statement. “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.”

Detroit will become one of three teams joining the league by the start of the 2030 season, alongside Cleveland (2028) and Philadelphia (2030). The arrival of the three franchises will expand the WNBA to 18 teams, with Toronto and Portland set to join the league next season.

The Golden State Valkyries are the latest franchise to join the WNBA and are currently in their inaugural season. Following an 84-57 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, the Valkyries are off to a 9-7 start.

"Our goal is to bring a winning team and a contending team to Detroit," Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem told The Detroit News. "We are looking forward to the great rivalries, just like we have in the NBA with Indiana, Cleveland, Chicago, along with Philadelphia and New York. It's great to see all the historic rivals in three great American cities."

The announcement of Detroit's new team came a month after Tellem expressed his optimism at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference.

He said the WNBA was intrigued by Detroit's ownership group, as well as their efforts to meet the league's requirements for a team facility that would also operate as a youth sports complex. The new facility will feature modern designated courts, a locker room, workout facilities and office and lounge areas.

While not yet confirmed, the new facility may be located along the Detroit Riverfront, west of the MacArthur Bridge that leads to Belle Isle.

The WNBA team will play all of its home games at Little Caesars Arena. However, there has been no announcement yet regarding its name.

"Our focus right now is on doing the work and due diligence on our practice facility and headquarters for the WNBA team, and that is well underway," Tellem said. "We will get focus on building the brand and developing the brand. Ultimately, not right now, start to look at hiring key people so we can begin to build our front office."

With Gores at the helm, Detroit's investment group also includes Detroit Lions principal owner Sheila Hamp and General Motors CEO Mary Barra. NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill and his wife, Tamia, along with NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber; Jared Goff and his wife, Christen; Roger and Carin Ehrenberg; Ethan and Gretchen Davidson; Denise Ilitch, KC and Ashley Crain; and Larry Brinker Jr.

The last Detroit franchise won its first title in 2003, one season after posting the worst record in the WNBA. It added WNBA titles in 2006 and 2008 during its 12-year run in Detroit before moving to Tulsa. The team later relocated to Dallas, where they are now known as the Wings.

Swin Cash, Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith were key players for Detroit's original WNBA franchise.

The future WNBA team means Detroit will be the sole U.S. city where five pro sports teams play its home games downtown, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said on Monday. The Red Wings and Pistons play in Little Caesars Arena, the Lions in Ford Field and Tigers in Comerica Park. Ford Field and Comerica Park are next to each other and Little Caesars Arena, where the WNBA team will play its home games, is about a 10-minute walk from the other two venues.

"Currently, we're the only city in the country with four teams downtown," Duggan said. "We're very excited about it. They play a 44 game schedule, 22 more home dates ... with the explosive popularity of the WNBA, it's going to be great."

Duggan said his administration endorsed Gores' application for the new franchise. He said more details about the planned facility for the future team will be provided in the "days and weeks to come."

“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.”

Other cities that bid on teams that didn’t get them include St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Houston, Miami, Denver; and Charlotte, N.C.

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