The Cleveland Cavaliers, led by owner Dan Gilbert, announced this week that they are officially pursuing a WNBA expansion team. This potentially would bring women’s professional basketball back to Cleveland for the first time in over twenty years. The team would be the WNBA’s 16th franchise, joining the league’s growing roster as early as 2027 or 2028.
The new franchise would play its home games at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, which has undergone significant renovations in recent years. Additionally, the team would utilize the Cleveland Clinic Peak Performance Center, a new state-of-the-art training and business facility currently under development and set to open in 2027.
“It has long been woven into our mission to utilize our platform to unite our community in ways that drive equal opportunities across the board,” said Rock Entertainment Group in a statement to Reuters. “To that end, we are actively pursuing bringing a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland.”
Cleveland previously had a WNBA team, the Cleveland Rockers, one of the league’s original franchises. The Rockers played from 1997 to 2003, folding after then-owner Gordon Gund ceased operations and the league could not find a new owner.
The city recently hosted the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four, which broke television viewership records for women’s sports.
The WNBA, currently a 12-team league, is in the midst of a rapid expansion. The Golden State Valkyries will join the league next season, with teams in Toronto and Portland beginning play in 2026. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has set a goal to expand to 16 teams by 2028.