Detroit Joins Cleveland and Philadelphia in WNBA’s Expansion to 18 Teams » Winsidr

The long dormant home to one of the WNBA’s winningest franchises will see its revival after all.

Detroit—the home of the three-time WNBA champion Shock from 1998 to 2009—was awarded a team in the league’s massive expansion push to 18 teams announced on Monday. Cleveland and Philadelphia are the other major cities to join Detroit during the league’s major announcement.

The three new expansion cities join the existing 15 teams, including three recent expansion franchises. The Golden State Valkyries began play this season, while the Toronto Tempo and the unnamed Portland franchise are set to join the party next year. Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) will join the league in succession to round out the decade.

It’s a return to the WNBA for Detroit and Cleveland, who had the Cleveland Rockers from the league’s inaugural season in 1997 until 2003. 

After three WNBA titles in six years, which included a historic worst-to-first season in 2003 for their first title, the Shock faced drastic ownership, front office and coaching changes amid a trembling economic landscape. The team was sold to an Oklahoma-based ownership group, who relocated the franchise to Tulsa and kept the Shock name. 

The franchise relocated once more six seasons later after a forgettable stint in Tulsa, moving to Dallas as the Wings, who the team operates as today.

Monday marks a triumphant return to the league for Detroit, the city that owns the record for the most attended WNBA game of all time. The Palace of Auburn Hills hosted 22,076 fans to watch the Shock win their first title in 2003 and cap off the storybook worst-to-first season. The same amount of fans packed the Palace for Game 5 of the 2007 WNBA Finals, where the Phoenix Mercury claimed the championship in the winner-take-all game against the Shock.

The Palace is no more, as the former home to the Shock and NBA’s Pistons was demolished in 2020. But Detroit has built a bustling sports epicenter, with all of its major teams competing in the city’s downtown district—a rarity in modern sports.

Little Caesars Arena opened its doors in 2017 and houses the Pistons and NHL’s Red Wings. The new Detroit franchise will join the fold and play its home games at LCA. Pistons owner Tom Gores led the bid for the WNBA’s return to Detroit, supported by a star-studded cast of athletes and celebrities with Michigan roots. 

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

“We have brought together an impressive array of investors who reflect the strength and diversity of Detroit. 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.”

As a journalist, I was taught about the complexities of bringing yourself into a story. A sports writer is never the story, but there are rare cases that make a subject quite personal where your experience would be an injustice to ignore. This is one of those rare cases. 

I was nine years old when the Detroit Shock won their first title, growing into my early adolescent years when the team left for Tulsa. That was the first—and luckily still the only—experience I’ve had where one of your beloved teams depart for greener pastures. 

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It hurts. The truest form of a metaphoric gut punch a sports lover can have. And it’s impossible to understand the socioeconomic factors at play at a young age. 

Since then, I’ve enjoyed reminiscing on the Shock’s dominant run in Detroit with colleagues and fans. I felt a sense of pride following Swin Cash’s meteoric rise through the basketball world as an executive. Catching Katie Smith on the Minnesota Lynx—and now Ohio State’s—sideline as a coach brought back her winning years with the Shock. Deanna “Tweety” Nolan opened a wine bar not too far from where I reside, which I shamelessly suggest for a casual night out at every opportunity.

Now, a new era of women’s basketball in Detroit is upon us. The WNBA awarding Detroit’s bid Monday is reassurance for the incredible work each individual involved in the process put in behind the scenes. It’s also reassurance for a city that has taken its lumps over time, especially during the years surrounding the Shock’s departure. “Detroit vs. Everybody” was a motto coined by natives that’s trademarked across clothing you couldn’t miss throughout the area.

Frankly, I had my doubts that Detroit would make the cut for an immediate round of WNBA expansion. The league’s aggressive expansion to 18 teams, deep women’s basketball roots and a budding sports scene made for a pleasant surprise, though, with the Detroit bid daring the league to say no. 

The successful pitch brings validation for those who always knew the WNBA belongs in the Motor City. It’s yet to be seen whether the Shock name will see its hoped-for revival—we’ll figure that out in time. Monday’s monumental announcement is reason to celebrate for a long while.

Detroit basketball is back.