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CLEVELAND — There’s a buzz around Cleveland followinga Sports Business Journal report that the city is “likely’ to be selected for a WNBA expansion team that would see the Cleveland Rockers return in 2028. However, while excitement is rising, a Cleveland Cavaliers spokesperson said no official decision has been made at this time.
SBJ reported Sunday that the WNBA’s 16th franchise will be in Cleveland, with “an announcement expected no later than March.” The report indicates that Cleveland would have its first season back in the league in 2028, playing at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Back in November, Rock Entertainment Group announced it had put in a bid for Cleveland to get a WNBA expansion team.
“It has long been woven into our mission to utilize our platform to unite our community in ways that drive equal opportunities across the board. To that end, we are actively pursuing bringing a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland. Cleveland’s vibrant ecosystem of world-class assets, passionate and engaged sports fans, coupled with a culture that has allowed professional sports to thrive, make our Team and city uniquely positioned to provide an ideal home for the W’s next franchise,” the statement said, in part.
RELATED: Cleveland initiates bid for WNBA team
When the SBJ article hit social media, Cleveland sports fans responded with fervent enthusiasm.
An aggregated report from Yahoo Sports was shared by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, with Bibb posting, “THE CLEVELAND ROCKERS ARE BACK!!!”
Fans seemed to be just as thrilled as the city about the report.
One woman on social media posted, “as a former cleveland rockers season ticket holder, yall have NO idea how much this means to me! LETS GOOOOOOOOOO!”
Despite the excitement, the decision has not officially been made at this time.
A Cavs spokesperson issued the following statement to News 5 about the report that Cleveland is likely to be selected for the WNBA’s expansion team:
“While we are very optimistic about the competitive WNBA bid that we have submitted, we have not received any confirmation from the league about their finalists.”
If Cleveland should be selected officially, it would return the Cleveland Rockers back to a city that once was passionate about the team. The original Cleveland Rockers played in Cleveland from 1997 to 2003 before the franchise was dissolved after ownership fell through.
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