Excitement stirs around report of WNBA expansion team coming to Cleveland

CLEVELAND — There's a buzz around Cleveland following a Sports Business Journal report that the city is "likely" to be selected for a WNBA expansion team that would see the Cleveland Rockers return in 2028. However, while excitement is rising, a Cleveland Cavaliers spokesperson said no official decision has been made at this time.

SBJ reported Sunday that the WNBA's 16th franchise will be in Cleveland, with "an announcement expected no later than March." The report indicates that Cleveland would have its first season back in the league in 2028, playing at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Back in November, Rock Entertainment Group announced it had put in a bid for Cleveland to get a WNBA expansion team.

"It has long been woven into our mission to utilize our platform to unite our community in ways that drive equal opportunities across the board. To that end, we are actively pursuing bringing a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland. Cleveland’s vibrant ecosystem of world-class assets, passionate and engaged sports fans, coupled with a culture that has allowed professional sports to thrive, make our Team and city uniquely positioned to provide an ideal home for the W’s next franchise," the statement said, in part.

City of Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin said he heard through the grapevine that Cleveland is one of two finalists to potentially host the Rockers.

“I'm excited to hear about that. Anytime we're competing against another peer city, I'm always excited to hear about that and to hear that we may have possibly won. I'm looking forward to getting the confirmation because it'll be a huge day for the City of Cleveland,” Griffin stated.

Griffin said he has reached out to the mayor’s office and Cavaliers ownership/management for confirmation but hasn’t heard back yet.

“At the end of the day, we're excited. Being a grandfather now and being able to watch my granddaughter watch some of the Angel Reeses and Caitlin Clarks of the world, it's just so exciting to me and I really hope that this does happen,” Griffin added.

Not only is the potential for this opportunity huge, but Griffin said it would greatly impact the local economy.

“A lot of people don't understand this, but when we get these kinds of gains, we have admissions tax, we have parking tax, we have restaurant tax,” Griffin said. “To bring these kinds of visitors in, to make our city a showcase and to highlight our city is always good. Hopefully we attract people that want to do business here, as well as people that want to live here.”

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When the SBJ article hit social media, Cleveland sports fans responded with fervent enthusiasm.

An aggregated report from Yahoo Sports was shared by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, with Bibb posting, "THE CLEVELAND ROCKERS ARE BACK!!!"

Fans seemed to be just as thrilled as the city about the report.

One woman on social media posted, "as a former cleveland rockers season ticket holder, yall have NO idea how much this means to me! LETS GOOOOOOOOOO!"

Cleveland State University Women’s Basketball Head Coach Chris Kielsmeier said he’s also overjoyed thinking about a WNBA team setting up shop in Northeast Ohio.

“From the time I got to Cleveland State University, I really felt like this area was a place that could really thrive with women's athletics, and we want to be a part of that,” Kielsmeier shared.

Kielsmeier’s team is currently third in the league with a 21-6 game season.

With talk of the Rockers coming to Cleveland, he said it further opens the door to exposure and networking for his players.

“To think that we could have some WNBA players in our facility, that would be really cool. It's neat to have a connection to a team that you call your own,” he added. “Anything that helps grow the game and anything that helps us to be a part of that growth is something that we want to be a part of.

Despite the excitement, the decision has not officially been made at this time.

A Cavs spokesperson issued the following statement to News 5 about the report that Cleveland is likely to be selected for the WNBA's expansion team:

If Cleveland should be selected officially, it would return the Cleveland Rockers back to a city that once was passionate about the team. The original Cleveland Rockers played in Cleveland from 1997 to 2003 before the franchise was dissolved after ownership fell through.