"The last time we were home to a WNBA team (Detroit Shock) we ranked top five in attendance for five straight seasons, No. 1 in attendance for three straight seasons and set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 fans at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals. Additionally more than 775,000 people were excited to come to Detroit for the 2024 NFL draft. Detroit is a sports town. We’re sure we’ll see the same excitement for the WNBA returning," the City of Detroit account wrote.

Both cities, along with Philadelphia, will join the league's 15 existing teams, following the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, who tipped off their inaugural season in May, as well as the franchises in Toronto, Canada, and Portland, Oregon, set to debut next season. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030, with all three markets being selected based on various factors including viability, long-term ownership commitment and potential fan support, according to the league.

“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 press release. “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. I am deeply grateful for our new owners and ownership groups – Dan Gilbert in Cleveland, Tom Gores in Detroit, and Josh Harris, David Blitzer, David Adelman, and Brian Roberts in Philadelphia – for their belief in the WNBA’s future and their commitment to building thriving teams that will energize and inspire their communities. We are excited for what these cities will bring to the league – and are confident that these new teams will reshape the landscape of women’s basketball.”

Philadelphia has never previously had a WNBA team. The Cleveland Rockers were part of the league's inaugural 1997 season before eventually folding in 2003.

The Shock were part of the league's first expansion -- along with the Washington Mystics -- in 1998 before the franchise moved to Tulsa in 2010 and eventually Dallas, repackaging as the Wings, in 2016.

This story is brought to you by the Women's Sports Audio Network (WSAN). WSAN is the first-ever audio platform dedicated exclusively to women's sports. WSAN celebrates female athletes and gives an in-depth look into their personal experiences in and out of their respective sports. Check out more on the WSAN site.

Simon Conway

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