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The WNBA continues to grow at a rapid pace. The league announced Monday that three new teams are coming to the WNBA: Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
The new Cleveland team will start play in 2028, with Detroit starting in 2029 and Philadelphia starting in 2030.
It's the second time in WNBA history that Cleveland and Detroit will host a franchise. The Cleveland Rockers were one of the league's eight original teams. They operated between 1997 and 2003. Over seven seasons, the team posted a 108–112. The Cleveland Rockers never won a championship.
The Detroit Shock were one of the league's first expansion teams. They debuted in 1998 and operated in the city until 2009, when they relocated to Tulsa. After five seasons in Tulsa, the team moved to Dallas and became the Wings, which still operate today. The franchise was highly successful in Detroit, winning three WNBA championships in the city before moving.
The WNBA said it would consider brining back the Rocker and Shock nicknames, but could also consider new branding for those teams. The Cleveland and Detroit franchises are expected to play in the NBA arenas in those cities.
Philadelphia has never had a WNBA franchise. The team will not play at the Wells Fargo Center, where the Philadelphia 76ers play. Instead, a new stadium will be built in Philadelphia for the WNBA team. In a statement, the league said it hopes the new stadium will be ready to go by 2030.
It marks the first time since … last September that the league has expanded. Portland was the last city to receive an expansion team. While they don't have a name yet, the league is expected to make that announcement soon. Portland will begin play in 2026.
They'll be joined by the new Toronto franchise, which was announced in March 2024. Unlike Portland, Toronto has announced its team name. They'll begin play as the Tempo in 2026.
With Monday's announcement, six new expansion cities have been announced by the WNBA since 2023. In October of 2023, the league announced the addition of a Bay Area team that would begin play in 2025. Months later, the Golden State Valkyries were born, and, as promised, the team is in the midst of its debut season in 2025.
The addition of the Valkyries marked the first time since 2008 that the WNBA expanded. The league has experienced rapid growth since then, in large part due to the rise of talented, college players making the leap to the WNBA, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, among others.
The addition of the Valkyries in 2025 gave the league 13 total franchises. That figure will jump to 15 next year, when the Portland and Toronto teams begin play. Following Monday's announcement, 18 total teams will be part of the WNBA when the 2030 season opens.
This story will be updated.
