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The owner of the Detroit Pistons is leading a supergroup of investors in an effort to bring a WNBA franchise back to Detroit. Pistons owner Tom Gores and his wife, Holly, on Thursday submitted a bid for a WNBA expansion team in Detroit. The diverse group of equity investors includes Pistons Vice Chair Arn Tellem and his wife, Nancy; Detroit Lions principal owner and Chair Sheila Ford Hamp and her husband, Steve Hamp; Lions quarterback Jared Goff along with his wife, Christen; General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra and her husband, Tony; NBA Hall of Famers Chris Webber and Grant Hill and his wife, Tamia, a recording artist; and a host of other prominent metro Detroit business leaders. “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 Friday. “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.” The new WNBA team would play its home games at Little Caesars Arena, bringing an additional 22-plus sporting events to the city each year. Tellem on Friday told Crain's that the WNBA hasn't set a deadline for a decision on the bid. The group hasn't settled on a name for the team. The WNBA's Detroit Shock played at The Palace of Auburn Hills from 1998 to 2009. The plan calls for first-class amenities. The bid includes a comprehensive facilities plan that would utilize new and current facilities for the team, its players and the community. The plan includes building a dedicated WNBA practice facility and team headquarters, highlighted as a priority by the league. That facility would include state-of-the-art courts, a locker room, workout facilities, and office and lounge space. The development also would include a public sports center that would house a youth development academy. The academy would promote youth sports and address a lack of access and equity of youth facilities in Detroit. The plan calls for the facility to have youth basketball and volleyball courts and fields for soccer, football and lacrosse along with spectator seating. Tellem said the group is in talks with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan on where in the city facilities could be built. The potential cost of the project was not disclosed. If the Detroit bid is accepted, the team would begin play in 2028. "Now the evaluation process begins," Tellem said. "We know it's going to be a competitive process. There's a lot of interest in the WNBA from a lot of cities — some that have NBA teams and some that don't. We're going to put our best foot forward and give our very best. We know the impact this would have on the community. We're determined to bring it home for Detroit and our great fans." Despite Detroit not being on the WNBA’s list for potential expansion, the Pistons have been in talks with the league for some time, Crain's reported in May. Tellem on Friday said the bid outline, quality of ownership group and facilities plan, and the local sports market make the Detroit bid competitive. "Our facilities are unmatched. We've been able to work out a deal to have an incredible space for the women's team and visiting teams that is equal to the Pistons and Red Wings. This is the right time, right place, and right moment for this," Tellem said. Tellem said having a large, diverse ownership group makes for a strong bid and that he's met with civic and business leaders to discuss the bid. "We thought the pitch is an example of the incredible community we have," Tellem said. "We wanted to ensure we had a diverse ownership group, with women in positions of leadership represented. I think we came up with an inspiring group of leaders who have all done so much for the community. That's what makes this bid so strong. It'd be a resounding success if we can get a franchise here." Following is the full list of investors that includes business and community leaders, athletes and team executives, and philanthropists: Tom and Holly Gores Grant and Tamia Hill Sheila Ford Hamp and Steve Hamp Mary and Tony Barra Arn and Nancy Tellem Chris Webber Jared and Christen Goff Roger and Carin Ehrenberg Ethan and Gretchen Davidson Denise Ilitch KC and Ashley Crain Larry Brinker Jr. Andra Rush Sandy and Tom Pierce Steve Jbara Beth Chappell Mindi Fynke Suzanne Shank Matthew and Karen Cullen Sportsology Capital Partners LP Ford Hamp said she and her husband are thrilled to be a part of the group of investors. "Detroit has always been a passionate sports town, and the time is right to reintroduce the talented women of the WNBA into our thriving downtown sports landscape," Ford Hamp said in a statement. "We look forward to creating another sports franchise that this city and state can be proud of.” Developing a sports campus Local and state officials are on board with the plan. Duggan has committed to partnering with the ownership group to develop a new campus in a central location for Detroit residents, noting that having a WNBA franchise in the city would support the creation of a youth sports academy for Detroit kids and their families. “Tom Gores and Arn Tellem have built a powerful ownership group of sports and business leaders who are fantastic community partners and will bring another world-class experience to our city,” Duggan said in the release. Duggan said the potential WNBA return to Detroit would also be aided by public and private sector partnerships. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her administration supports the bid. “Michiganders are fired up,” Whitmer said in the release. “Our passion for our teams and players is unmatched, our commitment to our communities remains unwavering, and our vision for women’s sports is crystal clear. My administration stands ready to support this franchise’s success.” A successful bid would add to the resume built by Gores and his Pistons Sports & Entertainment business. Gores, who bought the Pistons in 2011, opened the $127 million Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center in 2019. The facility, in Detroit’s TechTown area, serves as the team’s practice facility and headquarters. Gores and the Pistons also plan to develop a community center at Rouge Park on Detroit's west side, for which Tellem said Friday they hope to break ground later this year. They’re also working on the “Future of Health: Detroit” project, which is a $3 billion partnership with Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University that aims to bring state-of-the-art health care facilities, mixed-use commercial and residential development to Detroit's New Center area. Getting in at the right time Detroit isn’t alone in putting its hat in the ring for a WNBA franchise. The Detroit bid comes on the heels of news about a group led by Bill Haslam, chair of the Nashville Predators, and his wife Crissy, that submitted a bid to bring a WNBA franchise to Nashville. That group also includes now-retired WNBA superstar and former University of Tennessee great Candace Parker, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and former UT standout Peyton Manning, and entertainers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Cleveland announced its bid to bring a WNBA franchise back to Ohio in November. That bid is led by Detroit billionaire Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his Rock Entertainment Group. Locally, basketball fans supported a women's pro team in the past. The Shock had more than 160,000 fans at their 17 home games in 2004 — the season following the team’s first championship. The Shock still hold the league's single-game attendance record, set on Sept. 16, 2003, in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals with 22,076 fans in attendance for Detroit's victory. The Shock was one of the league's first expansion franchises and won championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008. The team was coached by former Detroit Pistons star Bill Laimbeer. Despite its success, the Shock was losing money and in October 2009 it was announced that the Shock would move to Tulsa, Okla. Longtime Pistons owner Bill Davidson also owned the Shock and sold the team. The WNBA, which will start its 29th season this spring, will grow from 12 to 15 teams with the addition of squads in San Francisco, Portland and Toronto. The San Francisco team will begin play this spring. Portland and Toronto both tip off in 2026. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in April laid out a list of other potential landing spots that includes Philadelphia, Denver, Nashville and South Florida. Engelbert wants the league to grow to 16 teams by 2028. The ramped-up interest comes at WNBA last spring had its biggest season yet. The women's league reported it averaged 657,000 viewers for nationally televised games, giving the WNBA its best audience in 24 seasons. That grew to 1.1 million in the playoffs, up 139% over the 2023 postseason. Following the 2024 WNBA Draft in April, which drew a record 2.45 million viewers to see college stars including Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese selected, WNBA officials told Front Office Sports that the league continues to engage in productive talks with interested ownership groups in a variety of markets. The granting of an expansion team requires the approval of the WNBA and NBA board of governors. Interest in the women's league is growing because of players including Las Vegas Aces three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty. Wilson’s first signature shoe is slated to drop this year. Stewart’s third shoe was released earlier last spring. Stewart’s teammate Sabrina Ionescu has one of the more popular shoes in basketball, with several NBA players even playing in the Sabrina 1. A new crop of players including Iowa's phenom Clark — who the Indiana Fever made the No. 1 pick last year — LA Sparks standout and Detroit native Rickea Jackson, her teammate Cameron Brink, and Reese of the Chicago Sky are also bringing more eyes to the game. After adding Clark, ticket sales skyrocketed for Fever games — home and away. The WNBA is even taking additional steps to give women players the same treatment as their male counterparts. The league in May announced it would institute a full charter flight program for the entire league in a partnership with Delta Air Lines. Not only is the women's league gaining in popularity, the money is starting to roll in, too. The WNBA in February 2022 announced it had raised $75 million in capital. The league has been using the funds in strategic areas such as marketing, digital transformation, globalization and fan engagement. The WNBA is now valued at around $475 million. Jay Davis By Jay Davis Jay Davis is a reporter covering restaurants, retail and small business issues for Crain’s Detroit Business. Prior to joining Crain’s in 2020, Jay held roles covering prep sports, local government, and education.

Jared Goff's wife, Christen Goff, announced ahead of the Detroit Lions' playoff game against the Washington Commanders that she and Jared have partnered with Michigan-based Crain Homes to support victims of the wildfires in California. They are auctioning off two VIP tickets for Saturday's game at Ford Field, with all proceeds going to the nonprofit organization California Strong. This initiative is part of the couple's efforts to aid relief efforts amid the severe wildfires affecting southern California.

September 18, 2024 12:52 PM A Bloomfield Hills home rooted in Detroit sports lore will likely soon have a new owner after its current owner, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, got a bit too much attention there. Built in 2013 by a hockey legend, the 7,800-square-foot Cape Cod-style mansion was purchased for $3.5 million in 2021 — from different owners — by Campbell and his wife Holly when the former was named head coach of the Lions earlier that same year. In that time, Campbell has become an icon among Lions fans, known for trick plays and fourth down gambles, and continues to lead the team now viewed as potential Super Bowl contenders. The Campbells listed the house for sale earlier this week at an asking price of $4.5 million, and the home was marked “pending” within 24 hours. The couple “loved” the house, but security concerns necessitated the move to somewhere more private, Dan Campbell told Crain’s on Wednesday morning. “The neighborhood, everything,” Campbell said of the appeal of the house. “There’s plenty of space, it’s on 2 acres, the home is beautiful. It’s just that people figured out where we lived when we lost.” Located near Woodward Avenue and Quarton Road on the Birmingham-Bloomfield Hills border, the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home was built by former Detroit Red Wings center and Hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov, and features a “seaside feel,” according to a 2020 report in the Detroit Free Press. The home features “an awe-inspiring 2-story foyer that sets the tone for the home’s opulent interiors,” according to the listing, and features “expansive, light-filled living and entertaining areas (as well as a) pristine white marble chef’s kitchen.” The identity of the pending buyers was not disclosed, but they are described as “a large blended family that have been waiting for the right thing to pop up and they fell in love” with the Campbell house, according to Ashley Crain, Realtor with Birmingham-based Crain Homes, who represented Dan and Holly Campbell in the pending sale, as well as the purchase of their new home in Oakland County. Crain noted that the pending buyers of the Campbell house are “huge” Lions fans. Ashley Crain also represented the pending buyers. Dan Campbell gave accolades to Crain for making the home selling and buying process “a heck of a lot easier for us,” and said their new home more “fits the architecture we were looking for.” High-end homes in the ritzy Oakland County suburbs are in relatively short supply at present, Crain said. Those that are listing are coming at a premium and this past summer has seen a handful of homes list in the eight digits, although they’ve yet to sell. “This is the place everyone wants to be,” Crain said of the location of the Campbell property. “It’s hard to find a newer home that’s in such great quality. There’s not much on the market. This was a diamond in the rough.” (Crain is married to KC Crain, president and CEO of Detroit-based Crain Communications Inc., the parent company of Crain’s Detroit Business.) By Nick Manes Nick Manes is a reporter covering residential real estate and local mortgage companies as well as the Detroit mayoral race for Crain’s Detroit Business. He previously covered finance and tech startups. He joined Crain’s in 2020 after six years as a reporter at MiBiz.