Detroit Submits Bid to Bring WNBA Back to the Motor City
Detroit’s bid to bring the WNBA back to the city was officially submitted by a group led by Tom Gores, owner of the NBA’s Pistons and the NFL’s Lions. The investor group includes Sheila Ford Hamp and her husband, the principal owners of the Lions; the chief executive officer and chair of General Motors Company; Hall of Famer and former NBA rookie of the Year Grant Hill; Lions quarterback Jared Goff and his wife; and others.
For Gores, bringing the WNBA back to Detroit is an opportunity to restore the city’s legacy as a sports town and to provide a community asset that drives unity and common ground. The Detroit Shock, one of the WNBA’s first expansion teams, was a beloved team that won three titles between 1998 and 2009. The Shock consistently ranked high in attendance and set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 fans at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals.
The proposed team would play at Little Caesars Arena and would also feature a dedicated practice facility and headquarters open 24 hours a day. The facility would include courts, locker rooms, workout facilities, office space, and a lounge.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan have both expressed their support for the bid. The team’s addition is also part of the WNBA’s expansion plan, which will bring the total number of teams to 16 by the 2028 season.
Other bidders, including Cleveland and Nashville, have also submitted their own proposals to bring the WNBA to their respective cities. Cleveland’s bid aims to bring back a WNBA team to the state of Ohio, while Nashville’s bid has proposed a dedicated practice facility and would honor the legacy of Pat Summitt with the team’s name.