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The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced Monday that it is expanding to Detroit, Cleveland, and Philadelphia over the next five years. The league currently has 15 teams but is growing rapidly as its popularity grows.
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and his wife, Holly Gores, will lead the ownership group for the Detroit WNBA team. The couple lives in Beverly Hills, Calif., but also owns a condo in Birmingham. They have three children.
“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA,” said Detroit Pistons owner and Platinum Equity Chairman Tom Gores, who led the WNBA bid and will be the controlling owner of the new 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, along with additional resources to our community.”
The Cleveland team will begin play in 2028, followed by Detroit and Philadelphia in 2029.
The newly announced teams join previously announced additions, including the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco, who began play in May, as well as Toronto and Portland, Oregon, set to begin play in 2026.
“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert 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.”
