In February, a Detroit collective group led by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores that featured Chris Webber and Grant Hill stated that they were vying for a WNBA team, and with the recent announcement from the WNBA, the two NBA Hall of Famers have officially become minority owners in a Detroit franchise.
The WNBA recently announced that the league is adding three new franchises to expand it to 18 teams, with those teams being in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. After joining the ownership group in February, the two fomer basketball players, who both played in Detroit at some point in time, will share ownership duties with the principal owner and Chair of the Detroit Lions, Sheila Ford Hamp and her husband, Steve, chairman of the Michigan Education Excellence Foundation and New Economy Initiative; CEO and chair of the General Motors Company, Mary Barra and her husband, Tony; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and his wife, Christen; Arn and Nancy Tellem, and of course, Gores.
🚨HISTORIC MOMENT ALERT🚨
The W is leveling UP — three new teams, three new cities, one unstoppable future. ⭐
Say hello to our newest expansion teams:
🟣 @clevelandwnba – coming 2028
🔵 @DetroitWNBA – coming 2029
🔴 @philawnba – coming 2030New energy. New legacies. New era.… pic.twitter.com/6ZXaHPxkEw
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 30, 2025
The WNBA is returning to Detroit after previously having a team there. Detroit was once home to the Detroit Shock from 1998 to 2009. The team won three championships before relocating to Tulsa. The Tulsa Shock then relocated to Texas in 2016 and now play in Arlington as the Dallas Wings.
“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA,” said Detroit Pistons Owner and Platinum Equity Chairman Tom Gores in a written statement. “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.”
Gores will be the controlling owner of the not-yet-named team.
Detroit is building itself to become a big basketball town again, as the BIG3 league announced earlier this year that the city had been awarded a franchise. The Amplifiers, led by NBA Hall of Famer George “Iceman” Gervin, who is coaching the team, made their debut on June 14 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, against the Chicago Triplets. The team’s home opener is Sunday, July 20, at Little Caesars Arena.
