Eminem Joins Bid For WNBA Team With Top Investors
The WNBA might be making a long-awaited comeback in Detroit, and none other than Eminem is in on the action! The rap legend has reportedly joined a powerhouse group of…
The WNBA might be making a long-awaited comeback in Detroit, and none other than Eminem is in on the action! The rap legend has reportedly joined a powerhouse group of investors working to bring a women’s pro basketball team back to the Motor City.
According to Sportico, Eminem—who has always repped Detroit with pride—is teaming up with Pistons owner Tom Gores, along with Jared Goff, Grant Hill, and many more to make this dream a reality.
Earlier this year, Gores and his group announced their bid for a team that could start playing in 2028.
“This is an exciting opportunity to welcome the WNBA back to Detroit and bring additional investment and economic activity into the city,” Gores said in a statement reported by WXYZ. “For the WNBA this is home, and our bid represents an unprecedented opportunity for the league to come full circle and effect a long-hoped-for Detroit homecoming. No city is more prepared to embrace the team as a community asset that drives unity and common ground.”
Who's on the Dream Team of Investors?
This isn’t just any group—some of the biggest names in sports and business are on board, including Detroit Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp and her husband, Steve, GM CEO Mary Barra and her husband, Tony, Pistons Hall of Famer Grant Hill & his wife, Tamia, Hall of Famer Chris Webber, Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff & his wife, Christen, among others.
May of last year, a report from Sports Illustrated mentions that the Pistons have reportedly “been in conversation” with the WNBA to advocate for the return of the Detroit team in the league’s future expansion plans.
“The Detroit Shock enjoyed success and won championships during their run in the 2000s and we celebrated the anniversary of their 2003 championship at a Pistons game last year,” Pistons chief communication officer Kevin Grigg told Crains Detroit Business. “While nothing is imminent, the prospects of bringing a WNBA team back to Detroit are intriguing and we have interest should they open another round of expansion. We will continue to engage in conversation with the WNBA going forward.”
A report from Sports Business Journal said that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert “wants the league to be at 16 teams by 2028.” Under its current expansion, the WNBA will grow from 12 to 14 teams, adding the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 and a Toronto team that has yet to be named in 2026.
The Detroit Shock debuted in 1998 as one of the league's first expansion franchises and won championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008. Despite its success, it was “losing money,” and the team moved to Tulsa in 2010. Longtime Pistons owner Bill Davidson also “owned the Shock and sold the team.”
