Grant Hill, Chris Webber Involved In Detroit Ownership Group Trying To Bring WNBA Team To The City
The WNBA is expanding and several cities are putting in bids to have a team in their city, a Detroit investment group has recently announced that they are attempting to bring a WNBA team back to the Michigan town.
Among the investors in the Detroit collective group that is being led by Detroit Pistons owner, Tom Gores, are former basketball players, Chris Webber and Grant Hill who both played in Detroit during their storied careers.
“This is an exciting opportunity to welcome the WNBA back to Detroit and bring additional investment and economic activity into the city,” Gores said in a written statement. “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. No city is more prepared to embrace the team as a community asset that drives unity and common ground.”
On behalf of an exceptional ownership group, an expansive coalition of civic and business leaders and an excited fan base that embraced the WNBA for many years, @DetroitPistons Owner Tom Gores submitted on Thursday a formal bid to bring the league back to Detroit. pic.twitter.com/y1klJRmQ0t
— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) January 31, 2025
The Detroit Pistons owner also revealed the other people involved in the investment group which includes 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; former Piston Rookie of the Year and Hall of Famer Grant Hill and his wife, Tamia, a Grammy-nominated recording artist; former Piston/UM Fab Five/Hall of Famer and Detroit native Chris Webber; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and his wife, Christen; Arn and Nancy Tellem and several other sports, entertainment, media business and finance leaders.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer supports the drive to bring back a WNBA team to Detroit.
“Michiganders are fired up,” Whitner 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.”
If awarded a franchise, the team will play its games at Little Caesars Arena.
Detroit was once home to the Detroit Shock from 1998 to 2009. As one of the first expansion teams of the WNBA, the team took home three championships throughout its existence in Detroit. Sports Illustrated reported that after playing 12 seasons (they won the WNBA championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008). The team relocated to Tulsa and became the Tulsa Shock from 2010 until 2015. They relocated once again to Texas in 2016 and now play in Arlington with a new team name, the Dallas Wings.
