The Detroit Lions are enjoying some downtime before the heat of the season kicks in, but things are always happening around the NFL and in the Motor City. The 2025-26 NFL season starts in September, and and minicamp happens in July, so there’s just a little bit of time off left for the Lions, both players and staffers.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is from California, but he’s made it clear that he is enjoying his time in Detroit and feels like he’s very much at home in the city. So, it makes sense that Goff would invest in the future of Detroit.
Now, Goff is becoming an even bigger part of the city, following a major announcement. So, yes, he’s in it for the long-haul.
Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff is Bringing Change to the Motor City
The city of Detroit will be getting a new professional sports team in a few years. On Monday, June 30, the WNBA announced that the investing group headed up by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and also with Goff and Detroit Lions team owner Sheila Hamp were approved for a WNBA expansion team starting in the 2029 season. On top of Gores, Goff and Hamp, investors involved in the expansion team include former NBA players Grant Hill and Chris Webber, rapper Eminem and General Motors CEO Mary Barra. How cool is it that Eminem is involved?
This is huge for the city of Detroit. It will mark the first time the city has a WNBA team since the Detroit Shock left for Tulsa, OK, in 2010. Today, the Shock is the Dallas Wings and boasts 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers.
“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA. Today makes the long-hoped-for return of the WNBA to a city with deep basketball roots and a championship tradition,” Gores said, according to the Detroit Free Press. “Detroit played a key role in the league’s early growth, and we’re proud to reignite that legacy as the WNBA ascends to new heights. Our plays will bring new energy, investment and infrastructure to our city and the WNBA, and additional resources to our community.”
Upgrades for Detroit
The WNBA team will get a brand new practice facility and team headquarters that will be located on the Detroit riverfront, according to the Free Press, at the previous Uniroyal site west of the Belle Isle bridge. Speaking with the Free Press, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the new expansion team will retain the history of the Shock, but there’s no word yet on if it will have the same name.
The Shock was a success in Detroit in terms of wins, and the team won three championships while in the Motor City.
The WNBA is working on expansions not just in Detroit but around the country. On the same day, the WNBA announced that new teams will also be added in Cleveland in 2028 and Philadelphia in 2030. It was previously announced that there will also be two new teams in Portland and Toronto launched to kick off the 2026 season.
