Detroit watched the Shock build a dynasty, then leave. That loss left a hole in the city’s sports heartbeat, one felt for more than a decade. That gap closed Monday morning when the WNBA officially announced that Detroit secured its bid for a franchise, returning professional women’s basketball to the Motor City in 2029.
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores leads the effort. His statement Monday set the tone: this return isn’t nostalgia, it’s a commitment to women athletes, Detroit’s future, and the fans who never let go of the dream. Joining Gores is an ownership group that reads like a cross-section of Detroit’s talent, grit, and spirit: former NBA stars Grant Hill and Chris Webber, Lions quarterback Jared Goff, Lions principal owner Sheila Hamp and her husband Steve, General Motors Chair Mary Barra and her husband Tony, and artist Eminem.
Little Caesars Arena will host the games. The team will share that space with the Pistons and Red Wings. Plans also include a new dedicated practice facility and headquarters on the Detroit riverfront, on the former Uniroyal site. Construction is expected to begin next year, part of a larger commitment to invest in Detroit’s infrastructure and community programs tied to the franchise.
Detroit will become the only city in the United States with five professional sports teams located within one mile of each other. That fact speaks to the legacy of the city’s passion for sports and its drive to be seen as more than comeback slogans.
Detroit once ruled the WNBA landscape. The Detroit Shock entered the league in 1998 and quickly built a powerhouse. Under coach Bill Laimbeer, the Shock brought home three WNBA championships and four conference titles. The team ranked top three in league attendance for five consecutive seasons. Fans packed the Palace of Auburn Hills to see future Hall of Famers Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan, and others build a culture that lived beyond wins and losses.
Then the Shock left in 2009, moving to Tulsa before eventually becoming the Dallas Wings. The departure stung. Players, coaches, and fans pushed the league for years to bring a team back. Monday’s announcement marks the end of that wait and the beginning of a new era.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Detroit’s history laid the foundation for its future. She praised Gores and the ownership group’s commitment to women’s sports and building opportunity for the next generation. The league itself is growing. The 2024 season saw the highest viewership in 24 years and the highest attendance in 22. Young stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are reshaping the cultural reach of the game. Corporate investments have grown, alongside merchandise sales and global fanbases.
The WNBA will expand with three new teams: Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. Two additional franchises, Portland and the Toronto Tempo, begin play in 2026.
A name for Detroit’s team has not been confirmed. However, the league filed a trademark for the Detroit Shock name in February, a strong signal that the team may reclaim its former identity.
Expansion means new jobs and investment in the city. Gores said Monday the move would bring community programming, youth sports initiatives, and fresh energy to Detroit’s sports scene. He called the return a win for Detroit, the WNBA, and girls dreaming of careers in professional sports.
The expansion process will include an expansion draft, allowing the new franchise to select players from existing rosters. In the most recent expansion draft, each team protected six players. The Golden State Valkyries built their team that way before entering the league in 2024. Detroit will follow that model.
The WNBA season runs from May through September, with playoffs through mid-October. Detroit’s franchise will start hiring leadership and front office staff ahead of the 2029 season.
Detroit has waited for this. Fans who once wore teal and red, who packed arenas to watch Cash, Nolan, and Ford dominate, have waited for the chance to stand up and cheer again. They carried those memories through more than a decade of empty promises, through doubts about whether the league would see Detroit as worthy of return.
That doubt ended Monday.
This new era will begin with a practice facility on the riverfront, a space the ownership group said will be built to support the team and serve as a hub for community outreach and youth programs. The franchise’s investor group said Monday they plan to build pathways for women into leadership roles, on and off the court.
The WNBA’s growth mirrors the larger push nationwide to lift women’s sports to the same stage as men’s leagues. Increased TV deals, sponsorships, and audience interest have pushed the WNBA into new territory. Detroit’s re-entry is part of that momentum.
Gores said Monday he felt a responsibility to use his position to support women’s sports in Detroit, praising the partners he assembled who reflect the city’s diversity and strength.
The former Shock set a high bar. Three championships, conference titles, and a consistent run as one of the league’s top teams. Former players and coaches often talk about Detroit as the most passionate basketball city they ever experienced. That legacy built the foundation for this new era.
As construction begins next year on the new practice facility, Detroit’s sports scene enters another chapter. This move is not about recreating the past. The next era focuses on growth, access, and building something that lasts beyond the scoreboard.
League officials said Detroit’s return brings credibility, history, and excitement at a time when the WNBA needs anchors in cities that embrace women’s sports.
Fans will have questions in the months ahead. What will the team be called? Who will coach? How will they build the roster? What colors will the franchise use? Those answers will come. For now, Detroit celebrates a promise kept, a legacy restored, and a chance to prove again why this city means so much to basketball.
The WNBA said Monday they would share more details on branding and community programming later this year. For the thousands of fans who filled seats at the Palace, who wore teal jerseys, who remember championship parades — this return is already a win.
Detroit has a history of bringing the noise when called. That history just got another chance to roar.
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