Detroit Announces The Return Of A WNBA Team To Michigan
Back in the early 2000s there was a dominate WNBA team that called Michigan home, the Detroit Shock. They were able to win 4 conference championships and 3 WNBA titles in their time in the Motor City. They eventually were bought by new ownership and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma before becoming the present-day Dallas Wings.
Basketball fans in Michigan are going to be excited to hear that the WNBA will be returning in 2029. According to Detroit Free Press:
Detroit will receive a WNBA expansion team in 2029, the league announced Monday, June 30. The WNBA also is expanding into two other cities with Cleveland receiving a franchise in 2028 followed by Philadelphia in 2030.
The team hasn't been named yet, but they do have big shoes to fill with the aforementioned Detroit Shock legacy. There is good news though, as the trademark for the Detroit Shock expired after the team left and a new trademark was registered to the WNBA in February of 2025.
Did you Hear The Detroit Shock May Return To Michigan In 2029?
There is a chance the Detroit Shock will be returning with the same name and color scheme as they had in the early 2000s. AP News via MSN says:
All three new teams announced Monday have NBA ownership groups. Each paid a $250 million expansion fee, which is about five times as much as Golden State dished out for a team a few years ago. All three teams will also be investing more money through building practice facilities and other such amenities.
The exciting part is that WNBA basketball is returning to the city of Detroit and providing another source of entertainment for the summer months. Mlive reports:
The team will play its games at Little Caesars Arena, home of the NBA’s Pistons and NHL’s Red Wings, and a new dedicated practice facility and team headquarters are set to be constructed at the former Uniroyal site on the Detroit riverfront, just west of the Belle Isle bridge.
The investor group supporting the new team includes names like:
- Lions' principal owner Sheila Hamp and her husband Steve
- Eminem
- Jared Goff
- Grant Hill
- Chris Webber
- General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra and her husband Tony
- and more
Time can't move fast enough to see if the Detroit Shock will return and what WNBA basketball in Michigan will be like this time around!
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Gallery Credit: Kerri Mac