January 31, 2025 | Articles Homepage News The Pistons
Investor group led by Platinum Equity CEO Tom Gores submits bid to bring WNBA to Detroit
DETROIT – On behalf of an exceptional ownership group, an expansive coalition of civic and business leaders and an excited fan base that embraced the WNBA for many years, Pistons Owner Tom Gores submitted on Thursday a formal bid to bring the league back to Detroit.
“This is an exciting opportunity to welcome the WNBA back to Detroit and bring additional investment and economic activity into the city,” Mr. Gores said. “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.”
The bidding group comprises a diverse and accomplished group of equity investors, including some of the most accomplished men and women in global sports, business, entertainment, media and finance.
In addition to Mr. and Mrs. Holly Gores, they 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 Company, Mary Barra and her husband, Tony; former Piston Rookie of the Year and Hall of Famer Grant Hill and his wife, Tamia, a Grammy-nominated recording artist; former Piston/UM Fab Five/Hall of Famer and Detroit native Chris Webber; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and his wife, Christen; Arn and Nancy Tellem and an impressive array of additional sports, entertainment, media business and finance leaders. A complete listing of the investor group is attached.
With a dedicated fan base that has proven its historic support for women’s basketball and the WNBA and sweeping support from an engaged civic, business and financial community, Mr. Gores said the city is ready to resume its full-throated support for a new team and the league.
“Detroit is a sports town that loves its teams deeply and consistently shows up with unwavering passion,” Mr. Gores said. “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.”
The Detroit Shock were one of the first expansion teams after the WNBA was established in 1996. From 1998 to 2009, the Shock won three titles, was in the top five in attendance for five straight seasons and 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.
Mr. Gores said that while the foundation for the bid is its impressive array of equity investors, the WNBA’s Detroit homecoming would also be propelled by a web of public- and private-sector partnerships that reflect deep community support.
“I’ve always believed in the power of partnership,” said Mr. Gores. “The foundation of a successful sports franchise starts with ownership, and I’m honored to be joined by so many influential and important leaders offering their investment and expertise in ensuring our future success. I’m also pleased with the broader partnerships we’re already putting together around this bid. I’m excited for what we can achieve together in building a winner on the court and in the community.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who modestly described herself as “a lifelong fan … and a below-average high school guard myself,” said that her administration fully supports the bid and “stands ready to support this franchise’s success.”
“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.”
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also pledged his support for the bid: “Having a WNBA franchise in Detroit not only would add to the growing list of professional sports teams playing in the city, it also would bring a state-of-the-art practice facility and support the creation of a youth sports academy for Detroit’s young people and their families.”
A Community Asset
The WNBA bid includes a comprehensive facilities plan that will utilize a combination of new and current facilities to service the team, its players and the community.
The plan includes constructing a new dedicated WNBA practice facility and team headquarters to allow for around-the-clock training and amenities for players and coaches, which the league has highlighted as a priority. The facility will include state-of-the-art designated courts, locker room, workout facilities and office and lounge space.
To embed the team in the community, the development will also include a publicly accessible sports center that would support the formation and creation of a youth development academy. The academy will promote youth sports and address the lack of access and equity among youth sports facilities in Detroit. The vision is to build a transformative community destination that will service the new franchise and include public-facing youth basketball courts, volleyball courts and multi-purpose fields for soccer, football and lacrosse, complete with spectator seating.
Mayor Duggan has committed to partnering with the ownership group to develop the new campus in a central location for Detroit residents.
The new team will play its games at Little Caesars Arena, bringing another 22-plus sporting events to the city each year and delivering additional economic impact to the restaurants and small businesses in the downtown area.
Mr. Gores’ and Pistons Sports & Entertainment’s track record of successful public-private partnership includes the aforementioned Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center, which serves as the Pistons’ practice facility and team headquarters, the planned development of a new community center at Rouge Park and the “Future of Health: Detroit” project, a transformative $3 billion partnership with Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University that aims to reshape Detroit’s New Center neighborhood into a vibrant, walkable community anchored by state-of-the-art health-care facilities, mixed-use commercial and residential development. The proposed new WNBA practice facility complex would build on that foundation and amplify the organization’s commitment to the community.
“My vision is to continue developing community assets that create change and impact for families across this city,” added Gores. “Together, we will create a new model for how professional sports can drive youth development, health care and community impact not only on the court and in the arena, but also off the court and throughout the Detroit community.”
Mr. Gores added to his sport folio with the acquisition of a 27 percent stake in the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers last year.