Cleveland’s original WNBA franchise, The Rockers, was last seen in the city in 2003 but folded after seven years of operation due lack of profitability under then-owner Gordon Gund.
But Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wants to change that.
On Thursday, Gilbert, through Rock Entertainment Group, the company that hosts Gilbert’s sports and entertainment properties, made an official bid to bring a WNBA team back to the home of the Browns, Cavs, Guardians and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“Cleveland is a real crazy sports town,” said Gilbert, CEO of the Cleveland Sports Commission. “It’s so closely tied to the identity of the city that’s had, the last couple of generations, some tough times.”
The bid comes during a special time in Cleveland.
The Guardians took the Yankees to the brink of the ALCS, the Cavaliers are currently 15-1 and on Thursday night, the Browns beat the rival Steelers in a snowstorm.
Now the city wants to add another team to its portfolio in a league that has experienced explosive, yet long overdue, growth, and it’s more than prepared to do just that.
“We have this unique convergence of infrastructure, culture and these foundational pieces that we think make Northeast Ohio, and specifically Cleveland, a great opportunity to expand from a WNBA perspective,” said Nic Barlage, Cleveland Cavaliers CEO, to CNBC.
There’s proof of this claim and the Cavs recently announced a partnership with the Cleveland Clinic to create the new, state-of-the-art Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center, designed for both the Cavs and the public.
According to the team, the Center will “offer personalized expertise in training, treatment, nutrition, and recovery from Cleveland Clinic’s professional medical specialists.”
And for a WBNA team, the Cavs said that the team’s existing practice facility in Independence, OH could be made ready for a franchise.
But the process to secure a WNBA franchise won’t be easy.
The league announced new franchises in Toronto and Portland for the 2026 season, while the newest franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, begins play next year.
Cleveland will be competing against Philadelphia, Denver, Miami, Milwaukee and St. Louis for the WNBA’s 16th franchise, which could arrive in either 2027 or 2028, according to Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
But it’s a fight that Gilbert is ready for.
“I just feel extraordinarily confident that, should a team be given to Cleveland, in part because of the city, in part because of what sports means here, in part because of the Cavs, it would immediately be a huge success,” said Gilbert.
