The Detroit Lions are getting involved in the possible return of WNBA basketball to the Motor City.
The Detroit Pistons PR team released details Friday of team owner Tom Gores’s bid for a new team along with a list of star-studded investors in the effort.
Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp and quarterback Jared Goff are among the investors listed in the collection. Others involved include NBA Hall of Famers Grant Hill and Chris Webber and General Motors CEO Mary Barra.
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 Shock was a premiere franchise in the WNBA, winning three championships before moving to Tulsa in 2009. In 2015, the team moved again and became the Dallas Wings.
The WNBA submitted a trademark application on Thursday for “Detroit Shock,” according to Gerben IP trademark attorney Josh Gerben.
Detroit is one of a handful of cities bidding for a team following a boom in the league’s popularity. The WNBA is already welcoming a new team in Golden State in 2025 and plans to debut teams in Toronto and Portland in 2026.
