It's official: Detroit approved for 2029 return to WNBA basketball
Detroit will officially return to the WNBA schedule with the 2029 season, league officials announced.
The WNBA and NBA Board of Governors on Thursday formally approved creating WNBA expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. An earlier announcement did say that 2029 was the expected date for Detroit.
The Detroit team's name has not been announced, although there has been speculation about the name of the Detroit Shock since the city's first WNBA franchise was sold and left Michigan.
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores led the expansion team bid on behalf of an ownership group in early 2025. "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," he said at the time.
In 1996, Detroit was one of the first cities awarded an expansion franchise. The Detroit Shock called The Palace of Auburn Hills home from 1998 to 2009. The team won WNBA championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008.
The new team is expected to play at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. A team headquarters and new practice facility are part of the plans.