The owner of the Detroit Pistons has submitted a bid to bring a WNBA team back to the city.
Tom Gores submitted the bid on behalf of a larger group of leaders in Detroit.
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“This is an exciting opportunity to welcome the WNBA back to Detroit and bring additional investment and economic activity into the city,” Gores said. “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.”
Detroit Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp, GM CEO Mary Barra, former Pistons Hall of Famer Grant Hill, former University of Michigan star Chris Webber, Lions quarterback Jared Goff, Arn Tellem, and others are among the group supporting the bid.
Gores said Detroiters have proven their support for women’s basketball and the WNBA.
“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 Detroit Shock was one of the first expansion teams after the WNBA was established in 1996. From 1998 to 2009, the Shock won three titles and finished among the top five in attendance for five straight seasons.
Detroit was No. 1 in attendance three consecutive years and set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals.
“I’ve always believed in the power of partnership,” Gores said. “The foundation of a successful sports franchise starts with ownership, and I’m honored to be joined by so many influential and important leaders offering their investment and expertise in ensuring our future success. I’m also pleased with the broader partnerships we’re already putting together around this bid.I’m excited for what we can achieve together in building a winner on the court and in the community.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said their administrations fully support the bid.
“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.”
“Having a WNBA franchise in Detroit not only would add to the growing list of professional sports teams playing in the city -- it also would bring a state-of-the-art practice facility and support the creation of a youth sports academy for Detroit’s young people and their families,” Duggan said.
New practice facility
The bid proposes a new dedicated WNBA practice facility and team headquarters with courts, a locker room, workout facilities, and office and lounge spaces.
It would also include a publicly accessible sports center to support a youth development academy.
“The vision is to build a transformative community destination that will service the new franchise and include public-facing youth basketball courts, volleyball courts and multi-purpose fields for soccer, football and lacrosse, complete with spectator seating,” the bid says.
Little Caesars Arena
The new WNBA team would play its games at Little Caesars arena, the current home of the Pistons and Red Wings in Downtown Detroit.
“My vision is to continue developing community assets that create change and impact for families across this city,” Gores said. “Together, we will create a new model for how professional sports can drive youth development, health care and community impact not only on the court and in the arena, but also off the court and throughout the Detroit community.”
