A new era of the WNBA in Cleveland has officially begun, as on Tuesday the league announced the newest expansion team's name, the Cleveland Sirens.
Opting not to revive the Cleveland Rockers name, which played in the WNBA from 1997 to 2003, the Sirens will instead turn the page on a new chapter when they debut in 2028. Tuesday's announcement unveiled the Sirens name and logo, which is a simple yet sharp script lettering with a Siren holding a basketball underneath the words. The colors are a pleasing azure blue, light blue and white combination, evoking the waters of the nearby Lake Erie.
When the Sirens take to the court in 2028, they'll do so at Rocket Arena where the Cleveland Cavaliers currently play.
“The enthusiasm and support behind the
Cleveland Sirens underscore Cleveland’s role in the league’s next chapter of growth and affirm our readiness for a return of women’s professional basketball,” Nic Barlage, Rock Entertainment Group CEO, said in a release. “From the beginning, our vision has been to build a franchise that harnesses the power, visibility and opportunity that define this moment in women’s sports and fortifies the city’s momentum.”
Welcome, Cleveland Sirens! @clevelandwnba pic.twitter.com/JJicznmgYw
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 4, 2026
We are the Cleveland Sirens.
— Cleveland Sirens (@clevelandwnba) August 4, 2026
This is HER story. This is HER voice. And the world is listening.#HEARTHECALL📢 pic.twitter.com/w8B3R8M7Of
As for why Cleveland chose the Sirens as the team's name, president of business operations Allison Howard told The Athletic that the year-plus long process had one major common thread: the need to place Lake Erie at the forefront.
In the process of selecting a new name, a 13-month endeavor that entailed market research, surveys and thousands of conversations with the community, Howard said her team knew it had to emphasize the region’s greatest asset: Lake Erie, something other major-league teams in Ohio have yet to do. Once that guiding principle was in place, the name “bubbled” up from there, she said.
“The design of the siren, she is moving forward, she is progressive,” Howard told The Athletic. “That was also intentional because we believe the WNBA is moving forward, we believe women’s sports is moving forward, and we believe Northeast Ohio is moving forward.”
In a release, via USA Today, the team elaborated more on the thought process behind the Sirens name and how it honors the city of Cleveland and Lake Erie.
"The Cleveland Sirens name embodies the energy, resilience and unapologetic passion that define Northeast Ohio. It evokes the force of Lake Erie, Cleveland’s defining natural asset and source of civic pride, and delivers an unmistakable call for fans to be part of something greater than themselves," Cleveland said via release. "The identity distinctly and authentically represents Cleveland, a city shaped by its lakefront, which serves as the region’s gathering place. The name and brand are a product of a year-long, regionalized, fan-informed process
"The logo captures the Siren's fluid motion as the character underlines the team's name from beneath the surface, commanding the depths while the tail and basketball crest the waves. The leading "S" in the Cleveland Sirens wordmark conceals "C" (Cleveland), "S" (Sirens) and "CLE" within its form, with its tip curving into a trident. Accent swashes bookend the wordmark, rippling outward like the reverberating sound waves of a siren's call. The color palette of Sirens Blue and Erie Blue draws on the hues of Lake Erie and pays homage to the Cleveland Rockers, who competed in the WNBA from 1997 to 2003. A complementary mint foam color adds vibrancy and depth in select applications."
Though we're still a few years out from seeing the Sirens take to the court, it seems as if Cleveland knocked it out of the park with this name and logo reveal.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Cleveland chose the Sirens as their WNBA expansion team name
