In the early 2000s, the Detroit Shock won three WNBA championships and helped bring fanfare to the sport in the early days of the league. Now that the WNBA is beginning to thrive, there is now a push to bring women’s basketball back to Detroit. And star quarterback Jared Goff is helping in that effort.
Since 2010, Detroit has been without a WNBA team when the Shock moved to Tulsa. That didn’t last long, as they ultimately became the Dallas Wings who still exist today.
Now, there is a significant push to bring the WNBA back to Detroit spearheaded by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and an investment group that Goff and his wife are apart of.
According to ESPN, Gores and his investment group submitted an official bid on Thursday to bring WNBA basketball back to Detroit.
“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,” Gores said via ESPN on Friday. “No city is more prepared to embrace the team as a community asset that drives unity and common ground.”
“Detroit is a sports town that loves its teams deeply and consistently shows up with unwavering passion. At a critical moment in the growth and development of the WNBA, it supported the hometown team more than any other franchise in the league. We’re here to rekindle that legacy.”
As Gores alluded to, the city of Detroit has always been a town that supports their basketball teams even in the worst of times, And to put it bluntly, the Detroit Pistons have seen the worst of times often lately…
Considering the rise of popularity in the WNBA this past season, it does seem like the perfect time to bring WNBA basketball back to Detroit. Especially considering they have the backing of Jared Goff, who has quickly become as beloved as any Detroit athlete in quite some time in short order since joining the team in 2021.