GM CEO Mary Barra is part of a group of investors working to bring a WNBA team back to Detroit. The bid, spearheaded by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, also includes Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp. If successful, the new team would play at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.<\/p>\n
While the WNBA is often the target of jokes, the bid has attracted several prominent investors, including Barra, Ford Hamp, and KC Crain, CEO of Crain Communications, which owns Automotive News and Automobilwoche, among other publications.<\/p>\n
The bid is being led by Tom and Holly Gores, who own the Detroit Pistons, and involves various professional athletes, such as Grant Hill, Chris Webber, and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Other investors include spouses of some of those mentioned. In a press statement, Gores stated, \u201cThis is an exciting opportunity to welcome the WNBA back to Detroit and bring additional investment and economic activity into the city.\u201d He emphasized that the bid \u201crepresents an unprecedented opportunity for the league to come full circle and bring about a long-awaited Detroit homecoming.\u201d<\/p>\n
This statement references the Detroit Shock, which was one of the original teams added during the WNBA’s first expansion. The team set attendance records and won three titles before relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2009\u2014a surprising move that later saw the team rebranded as the Dallas Wings.<\/p>\n
If the bid is approved, the new WNBA team would play at Little Caesars Arena, home to the Pistons and Red Wings. Though the team would share an existing venue, the bid also includes plans to build a dedicated practice facility and headquarters with specialized courts, locker rooms, and training areas. Additionally, there are plans for a public sports center with a youth development academy, basketball courts, volleyball courts, and multi-use fields for sports like soccer, football, and lacrosse, all with spectator seating.<\/p>\n
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GM CEO Mary Barra is part of a group of investors working to bring a WNBA team back to Detroit. The bid, spearheaded by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, also includes Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp. If successful, the new team would play at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. While the WNBA is often the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\n