The race for a WNBA franchise has heated up in the last few months, and now Detroit has added some hometown firepower to the effort in legendary rapper Eminem.
The “8 Mile” star has joined the Detroit-based group headed by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Goresbidding in the quest to bring a team back to the Motor City according to Sportico.
The group consists of team owners of the Red Wings, Tigers and Lions, making the quest a true citywide effort. The city’s former WNBA team, the Detroit Shock, played in the city from 1998 – 2009 and won three league titles (2003, 2006, 2008) before moving to Tulsa and then Dallas, where it’s now known as the Dallas Wings.
While the city has a revered history with the WNBA, the group faces stiff competition from groups in Cleveland, Philadelphia and Denver.
Cleveland, which also has history with the league through the former Cleveland Rockers franchise, is the reported front-runner after Cavs owner Dan Gilbert made a reported record-setting expansion bid of $250 million.
The league currently has 15 teams, with the Golden State Valkyries launching this season followed by the Toronto Tempo and a franchise in Portland.
While commissioner Cathy Engelbert looks to add the 16th franchise in the 2027 or 2028 season, the increased attention from cities vying for teams may lead her to add two to three more teams.
A decision on the 16th team was supposed to be revealed sometime this month, so while all of the cities are waiting anxiously for it, Detroit wants to have as much firepower as possible to secure the bid, and adding Eminem definitely accomplishes that goal.
