Cavs Ownership Group Launches Bid for WNBA Expansion Franchise in Cleveland

The Rock Entertainment Group, which serves as the host for Dan Gilbert's sports and entertainment properties—including the Cleveland Cavaliers—is launching a bid for a WNBA expansion franchise in Cleveland, according to Jessica Golden of CNBC and the Associated Press.

"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," Nic Barlage, the CEO of the Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, told the AP. "To that end, we are actively pursuing bringing a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland."

Cleveland isn't the only city trying to get into the WNBA game, with Golden reporting that Denver, Miami, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Philadelphia are also potential bidders.

"The good news is we have a lot of demand from many cities," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters last month. "I think the more people are watching the WNBA and seeing what we're growing here and seeing these players and the product on the court, more people are interested in having it in their cities."

The WNBA is adding a 13th franchise ahead of the 2025 season, the Golden State Valkyries, while Toronto and Portland have already been awarded future expansion franchises.

"We're not in a huge rush," Engelbert said while discussing a 16th future franchise. "We'd like to bring it in in 2027 or no later than 2028."

The league, bolstered by a growing interest in women's sports and the popularity of young stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, saw its attendance hit its highest mark in 22 years and merchandise sales rise by over 600 percent compared to 2023, per Golden.

That growth has unsurprisingly led to an interest in expansion. Cleveland—which is already home to the Cavaliers, the NFL's Cleveland Browns and MLB's Cleveland Guardians, among other professional teams—should be able to put together a competitive bid.

"We have this unique convergence of infrastructure, culture and these foundational pieces that we think make Northeast Ohio, and specifically Cleveland, a great opportunity to expand from a WNBA perspective," Barlage told Golden.

Cleveland previously had a WNBA team, the Cleveland Rockers, from 1997-03.

"I just feel extraordinarily confident that, should a team be given to Cleveland—in part because of the city, in part because of what sports means here, in part because of the Cavs—it would immediately be a huge success," Cleveland Sports Commission CEO David Gilbert told Golden.