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Wings CEO and president Greg Bibb speaks as the Dallas Wings and the City of Dallas had a groundbreaking at the site of the team’s new practice facility at Joey Georgusis Park, in Dallas, Texas, Friday, September 26, 2025.<\/p>\n
Anja Schlein\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n
As two Dallas sports franchises plan their departures from\u00a0downtown<\/a>, another still doesn\u2019t know its move-in date, and its CEO says there hasn\u2019t been an update in months.<\/p>\n The WNBA\u2019s Dallas Wings<\/a> are still waiting on a renovated Memorial Auditorium<\/a> in downtown that was supposed to open for the 2026 season before construction delays resulting from the city\u2019s bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup\u2019s<\/a> International Broadcast Center.<\/p>\n The Dallas Mavericks<\/a> and Dallas Stars<\/a>, meanwhile, have a clear path forward. The NBA\u2019s Mavericks are set to build a new arena<\/a> at the old Valley View Mall site in North Dallas<\/a>, and the NHL\u2019s Stars are bound for The Shops at Willow Bend<\/a> in Plano<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: Did Dallas fail downtown? Residents clash over Stars, Mavericks potential exits<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy for the Mavericks. I\u2019m happy for the Stars,\u201d Wings CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb told The Dallas Morning News last week, reflecting on the recent shifts in the Dallas-Fort Worth sports landscape. \u201cI just want to remind city leadership and I guess everyone else that the Dallas Wings made a commitment to downtown over two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Bibb said he is meeting with city officials at the end of this month, but the Wings last received a formal update about the Memorial project during a design review in December<\/a>, despite aggressively pursuing the city for an update in the months since.<\/p>\n City spokesperson Rick Ericson told The News in an email Tuesday that Rosa Fleming, director of convention and event services, spoke to Bibb about Memorial Auditorium two weeks ago and speaks to the Wings weekly regarding the construction of their new practice facility in Oak Cliff.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cRosa\u2019s team is currently working with the construction manager at risk and the design team to refine the design for Memorial,\u201d Ericson wrote. \u201cThey will meet with the Wings later this month to review the design work, and she\u2019ll have an update after that meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n Bibb reiterated Tuesday in a statement to The News that outside of him reaching out in hopes of scheduling a meeting, there has been no formal discussion on Memorial Auditorium since December.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have not seen a revised design, budget or timeline,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n In April 2024, the Wings signed a 15-year, $19 million use agreement with the city to move to Memorial Auditorium. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center being named host of the 2026 World Cup\u2019s International Broadcast Center<\/a> set up a 2027 move-in date. City officials have since pushed the date to 2028.<\/p>\n Related: Dallas Wings must build own practice facility after city delays, cost overruns<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Along with agreeing to a one-year delay on the arena project, the Wings also had to scrap initial plans with the city<\/a> for a new practice facility to be built adjacent to Memorial Auditorium. The organization is now building a facility at Joey Georgusis Park <\/a>with $52 million of city money and $27 million of its own.<\/p>\n American Airlines Center merely a short-term option<\/p>\n The Wings, bolstered by stars such as Paige Bueckers<\/a>, Azzi Fudd<\/a> and Arike Ogunbowale<\/a>, have continued to practice and play home games at UT-Arlington\u2019s College Park Center amid the delays. While the practice facility should be complete by this time next year, questions remain on where the Wings will make their gameday home in 2027.<\/p>\n Bibb said the organization has engaged in conversations about playing the 2027 season<\/a> at American Airlines Center<\/a>, but a deal has not been finalized and those discussions are advanced.<\/p>\n The Wings played two games at AAC in 2025 and have three contests scheduled at the venue for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Bibb said playing at the venue for a full season compared to a few games would present complications.<\/a><\/p>\n Related: Moving Dallas Wings to American Airlines Center not a viable option, CEO says<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe AAC and the Mavericks have been gracious in allowing us to use space that otherwise would not be available, such as the Mavericks locker room,\u201d Bibb said. \u201cThat\u2019s doable when you\u2019re playing a couple of games in the middle of summer.<\/p>\n \u201cBut when you\u2019re contemplating an entire season \u2014 a season that overlaps NHL, NBA on both the frontend and the backend \u2014 utilizing shared space becomes much more difficult.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The team would also have to contend with other events at the venue, such as concerts.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Should they move into AAC for the 2027 season, the Wings will have to identify space that the team can use for player facilities that meet WNBA league standards.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re working through those things now. I\u2019m confident we\u2019re going to come up with solutions and we\u2019ll play the \u201827 season at AAC,\u201d Bibb said. \u201cAnything beyond that, though, becomes significantly more problematic.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n As the Mavericks move north and the Stars relocate out of the Dallas city limits, Bibb still has sights set on downtown Dallas.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an agreement we signed. We\u2019re 100 percent committed to meeting the obligations of that agreement and remain excited about the prospect of playing in a renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium in downtown Dallas,\u201d Bibb said in response to a question about shopping around for a space in other D-FW municipalities.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Bibb conceded the Wings agreed to the delay until 2027 and the additional delay until 2028.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if it\u2019s not going to be \u201928 \u2026 we need to know sooner rather than later,\u201d Bibb said. \u201cWe\u2019re a WNBA team. There\u2019s not a lot of options in terms of where you go and where you play, and if \u201828 is not a reality for us, there\u2019s a lot to be discussed at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n The moves the Mavericks and Stars made were in part an attempt to capture additional revenue<\/a>. Bibb said the Wings have similar ambitions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n