It was announced on April 9th that the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors formally approved the WNBA expansion in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, with the big news being when they will begin play. In June of last year, it was announced that the WNBA was bringing a team to Cleveland.
The Cleveland WNBA team is confirmed to be the WNBA’s 16th franchise currently. It was also announced that they will be set to begin play for the 2028-29 season. The WNBA just added three franchises recently with the Golden
State Valkyries (2025), Toronto Temp (2026), and Portland Fire (2026).
When the team was announced last year, Dan Gilbert described the monumental moment this is for the city:
“The WNBA’s return to Cleveland marks a pivotal moment for women’s sports.”
The last time Cleveland was home to a WNBA team was from 1997-2003. The Cleveland Rockers were one of the original eight franchises in the WNBA. However, due to low attendance, the Gund family, who purchased the Rockers from the WNBA in 2002, folded the team in 2003. The Rockers were 108-112 during their time in the WNBA.
At this point, no name has been revealed for the revival of the Cleveland franchise.
