On Monday, the WNBA announced that three cities, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Detroit, were granted franchises at reported record-setting franchise fees.
Of the three cities, Cleveland and Detroit were once homes to WNBA teams in the past, the Rockers and the Shock, respectively.
Philly is finally getting its first WNBA team.
The ownership group of the Detroit team features big names, including Eminem and former NBA All-Stars Grant Hill and Chris Webber.
Hill has become a superstar off the court in broadcasting and business. He is the managing director of USA Basketball, which won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. He and his wife, Tamia, are part of the ownership group of the Orlando Soccer Holdings, which includes MLS team Orlando City and NWSL team Orlando Pride. He also owns part of the Baltimore Orioles and, most recently, was added to NBC’s NBA broadcast team, which launches its coverage of the league this coming fall, and will continue to work with TNT Sports/CBS Sports during March Madness.
Webber has also built a successful career in sports media. He has called games for both TNT and NBATV, is an educator, author and an owner of a cannabis business and advocate for diversifying the cannabis industry.
Hill and Webber, both Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers, have deep ties to the city.
Hill was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the third overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and played with the team for six seasons, becoming an All-Star in five of those seasons.
Webber is a Detroit native and was part of the iconic Fab Five of the University of Michigan.
Now, they’re part of the group bringing the WNBA back to the Motor City, which was once home to 3x WNBA championship franchise, the Detroit Shock.
“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA,” said Tom Gores, owner of the Detroit Pistons and controlling owners of the yet-unnamed franchise. “Today marks the long-hoped-for return of the WNBA to a city with deep basketball roots and a championship tradition. Detroit played a key role in the league’s early growth, and we’re proud to reignite that legacy as the WNBA ascends to new heights. Our plans will bring new energy, investment, and infrastructure to our city and the WNBA, and additional resources to our community.”
