The WNBA formally announced an expansion to include three cities: Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
The expansion, which will increase the league’s total size to 18 teams if approved by the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors, will happen gradually and finish by 2030. The league announced June 30 that an expansion team in Cleveland will be targeted for 2028, Detroit for 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.
“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
“This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.”
Here’s what basketball fans should know.
Cleveland Rockers return? Cleveland is a former WNBA city getting an expansion team
While Cleveland is among the cities announced for the latest WNBA expansion, fans may remember it already had a WNBA team in the past.
The Cleveland Rockers played in the league from 1997 to 2003.
During those seven seasons, the Rockers had a combined record of 108-112 to accompany four playoff appearances. They never won a championship, but the Rockers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000 under coach Dan Hughes, who went on to coach the WNBA’s Seattle Storm to a title in 2018.
WNBA expansion a Detroit Shock? Like Cleveland, Motown is also getting a WNBA return
As is the case with Cleveland, Detroit would get a return to the WNBA under the proposal.
The Detroit Shock, however, had greater success than the Rockers when they were around. The Shock won three championships during their existence from 1998-2009 — all under coach Bill Laimbeer, a former two-time NBA champion and four-time NBA All-Star.
The franchise moved to Tulsa, becoming the Tulsa Shock in 2010 (going 6-28 that season), before moving again and rebranding to the Dallas Wings in 2016.
What is the expansion fee for new WNBA teams?
According to reporting from the Detroit Free Press and USA TODAY, each of the expansion teams will pay a $250 million expansion fee to join the league.
That’s a 5x increase from the $50 million the Golden State Valkyries paid to join the WNBA in 2023, which really shows the vast and rapid expansion of the league overall.
The league at large is reportedly worth a collective $3.5 billion.
Who are the owners of the WNBA expansion teams?
The fresh-look Cleveland team will be owned and operated by Rock Entertainment Group, the parent company run by chairman Dan Gilbert that also includes the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and G-League Cleveland Charge, as well as the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters.
Detroit’s controlling owner will be Tom Gores, who also owns the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
The new team in Philly is set to be owned and operated by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment — the same company that owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers franchise as well as the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.
HBSE is led by co-founder Josh Harris, who’s also the controlling owner and managing general partner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: WNBA expansion to include Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia; what to know
Reporting by Ben Leibowitz, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
