Owners of NBA's Pistons and NFL's Lions part of bid to bring WNBA team back to Detroit

 

[February 01, 2025]  DETROIT (AP) — Detroit wants to bring the WNBA back to the Motor City, backed by an investor group led by the owner of the NBA's Pistons and NFL's Lions.

Pistons owner Tom Gores submitted the bid Thursday and it was announced Friday. The group includes Sheila Ford Hamp and her husband, the principal owners of the Detroit 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 the WNBA this is home, and our bid represents an unprecedented opportunity for the league to come full circle and effect a long-hoped-for Detroit homecoming,” Gores said in a statement. "No city is more prepared to embrace the team as a community asset that drives unity and common ground.”

The Detroit Shock were one of the WNBA's first expansion teams, winning three titles between 1998 and 2009. The Shock ranked in the top five for attendance for five straight seasons and led the league in that category for three consecutive seasons. Detroit set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 fans at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals.

The new team would play at Little Caesars Arena.

“Detroit is a sports town that loves its teams deeply and consistently shows up with unwavering passion,” Gores said. “At a critical moment in the growth and development of the WNBA, it supported the hometown team more than any other franchise in the league. We’re here to rekindle that legacy.”

The bid also is supported by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. The bid includes a plan to build a dedicated practice facility and headquarters open 24 hours a day for the WNBA team. That facility would include courts, locker room, workout facilities and office and lounge space. A sports center open to the public also would be developed.

The 2003 Detroit Shock WNBA basketball team poses at mid-court after being honored during halftime of an NBA basketball game between the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

“Michiganders are fired up,” Whitmer said. “Our passion for our teams and players is unmatched, our commitment to our communities remains unwavering, and our vision for women’s sports is crystal clear. My administration stands ready to support this franchise’s success.”

The WNBA is adding three expansion teams in the next two seasons with Golden State, Portland and Toronto joining to boost the league’s franchises to 15. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said the WNBA would like to add a 16th team by the 2028 season. Cleveland announced its bid to bring a WNBA franchise back to Ohio last November.

Nashville announced a bid Thursday. The team would be called the Tennessee Summitt to honor the legacy of the late Pat Summitt and three-time WNBA champ Candace Parker is in the investor group along with Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and the chairman of the NHL's Nashville Predators. That bid also includes a dedicated practice facility.

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