Former NBA players Grant Hill and Chris Webber are looking to bring a WNBA team back to the city where they once played.

According to a press release, an ownership group led by Pistons owner Tom Gores has formed and placed a bid to bring the league to Detroit, MI. The state previously had a team between 1998 to 2009, named The Detroit Shock, which had been quite successful, CNBC reports. In fact, the team won three WNBA Championships. However, the franchise no longer represents the city after first moving to Tulsa, OK, and then to Arlington, TX, where it has played as the Dallas Wings since 2015.

Now, a group that includes Hill and Webber is hoping to reignite momentum for the city to regain a WNBA team. This marks a full-circle moment for both Hill and Webber as they both played for the Detroit Pistons at different times during their professional careers.

“This is an exciting opportunity to welcome the WNBA back to Detroit and bring additional investment and economic activity into the city,” Gores said in the news release. “For the WNBA this is home, and our bid represents an unprecedented opportunity for the league to come full circle and effect a long-hoped-for Detroit homecoming. No city is more prepared to embrace the team as a community asset that drives unity and common ground.”

Additional investors in the group include principal owner and chair of the Detroit Lions, Sheila Ford Hamp, and her husband, Steve, chairman of the Michigan Education Excellence Foundation and New Economy Initiative; CEO and chair of the General Motors Co., Mary Barra, and her husband, Tony; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and his wife, Christen; and more.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is in support of a team making its way to the state, referencing her status as “a lifelong fan … and a below-average high school guard myself.” 

“Michiganders are fired up,” she said. “Our passion for our teams and players is unmatched, our commitment to our communities remains unwavering, and our vision for women’s sports is crystal clear. My administration stands ready to support this franchise’s success.”

The announcement of the ownership group comes as the WNBA has shown interest in expanding to 16 teams by 2028, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.