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WNBA Cleveland

For the first time in over two decades, the WNBA is returning to Cleveland, and this time, it's here to stay.

The league officially announced Cleveland as home to its 16th franchise, set to debut in the 2028 season. Operated by Rock Entertainment Group, the city's new WNBA team will call Rocket Arena home, the same arena that hosted a sold-out NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2024 and that the Cleveland Cavaliers call home. The franchise will also train at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, one of professional basketball’s premier practice facilities.

This marks a powerful homecoming for a city that helped launch the WNBA with the Cleveland Rockers, one of the league’s original eight teams. The Rockers played from 1997 to 2003 and laid the foundation for women's basketball in Northeast Ohio. Now, after years of passionate local support and momentum in women’s sports, Cleveland is poised to reestablish itself as a cornerstone of the league’s future.

“Cleveland is a city built on loyalty, pride, and a deep passion for the game of basketball,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “We’re excited to welcome Cleveland back to the WNBA at a time of extraordinary momentum for our league. As one of our original eight franchises, this city played a foundational role in the WNBA’s early days, and we’re honored to return and build on that legacy.

"We’re incredibly grateful to Dan Gilbert and Rock Entertainment Group for their commitment to bringing women’s professional basketball back to Northeast Ohio – and we can’t wait to see the impact this team will have on and off the court.”

Rock Entertainment Group Chairman Dan Gilbert, whose portfolio also includes the Cavaliers, Charge, and Monsters, called the WNBA’s return a “monumental point in Cleveland's sporting history”. With the league experiencing unprecedented growth, adding teams in Golden State, Toronto, Portland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, Cleveland’s inclusion reflects a league on the rise.

Slated to open in 2027, the upcoming Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center will offer WNBA players elite medical and training resources, further establishing Cleveland as a leader in sports innovation.

The WNBA is back in Cleveland and it’s bigger, stronger, and more meaningful than ever.


This article first appeared on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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