Detroits to receive a WNBA expansion team in 2029
A previous version contained incorrect years the Shock were in Detroit. They were in the city from 1998-2009.
Editor’s note: Last week, we asked you to suggest names for Detroit’s new WNBA franchise, and boy, did you deliver. We published your answers, but, as the saying goes, there ain’t no party like a Detroit party ‘cuz a Detroit party don’t stop ― and neither do (metro) Detroiters, when there’s a WNBA franchise to name.
If you’re wondering why the team might need a new name ― the WNBA’s Detroit Shock franchise played here from 1998 through 2009, but Ryan Reed, owner and president of the new Women’s Basketball League, registered the rights to the Detroit Shock name in 2023. The WNBA is asking Reed to relinquishing the name, but while we wait, we’re going to speculate.
Seizing control of the score
The “MOTOR CITY SIEGE” would be an excellent and fitting name for Detroit’s newest entry in the WNBA. The name itself establishes a culture in which the team imposes its will upon its opponents, controls the tempo of the games played and, finally, forces the opposition into surrender mode. D-E-E-E-E-E-T-R-O-I-T basketball!
Gary Dycio
Warren
Rev up the hype for the new team
I’d like to see a name that hints at the city’s automotive history, but really ratchets up the excitement level.
How about “The Detroit Vroom?” Imagine the sounds of a muscle car engine revving and tires peeling out as the team takes the court!
The Detroit WNBA ownership team already includes connections to two car companies: Sheila Hamp (Ford Motor Co.) and Mary Barra (General Motors). So corporate sponsorships should be a slam dunk. (Pardon the pun!)
Patricia Majher
Ann Arbor
A sparkling return
A while ago, I was going through defunct basketball teams, which always intrigues me because of the history of sports teams when they first start out.
One such team name I came across that was short lived in Detroit was called the Detroit Gems. The team was started by a jewelry store in Detroit. From what I remember again it was short lived and relocated to Minneapolis and under a new name, the Lakers. So why not bring this old history of a franchise that started out in Detroit as the Gems?
Barton Campbell
Mount Clemens
Paying homage to autos history
The name I was thinking is the Detroit Volts or the Detroit Bolts. Relating to car parts and engines and different types of energy like sparks. Which gives me another name: the Detroit Energy.
Tyrann Hill
Nashville
Wiping away the competition
Staying consistent with the automotive theme, the Detroit “Wipers.” They’ll clear every shot. Imagine an entire stadium waving their hands back and forth like windshield wipers.
Michelle Staffen
Macomb
Exploding back into the game
I think a good name would be the Detroit Steam. Water is heated into a combustible vapor, like the players, when they get heated they become combustible force.
Sincerely, a lifelong Piston, Lion and Wolverine.
Derrick Burse
Douglasville, Georgia
Bring in some famous support
How about naming the women’s basketball team The Detroit Bolt, after the famous Usain Bolt and his win at the Olympics? Perhaps he would come to Detroit to enjoy watching them play a game or two.
Virginia Trumble
Harbor Springs
Big cats rule in Detroit
We have the Lions, Tigers and Panthers. The Leopards are another big cat name, and imagine how cool the uniforms and merchandise would look with leopard print.
Marc Emerson
Troy
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