Detroit, MI
Pistons owner Tom Gores puts in bid for Detroit to receive WNBA franchise: Sources
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores submitted a bid for the city to receive a WNBA franchise, sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Detroit Shock were a big part of early WNBA history, winning championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008 before moving to Tulsa in 2010 — and before being rebranded as the Dallas Wings.
The Shock set single-game records for attendance in the 2003 WNBA Finals as 22,076 fans filled the Palace of Auburn Hills to see Game 3 against the Los Angeles Sparks, and they matched that mark again in the 2007 Finals. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever set the single-game regular-season record against the Washington Mystics this past season with 20,711.
Nashville announced a bid for a WNBA franchise, the Tennessee Summit, earlier Thursday. Friday is the last day for bids and at least six cities are expected to make bids for franchises — scheduled to begin play in 2028.
The potential Detroit franchise would be expected to play at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, sources said, which is where the Pistons have been since the 2017-18 season. The Pistons also have a practice facility and headquarters two miles from the arena that was built in 2019, and it’s expected the WNBA franchise would also have its own facility and headquarters as well, should the bid be accepted.
Whether they would take back the Shock nickname hasn’t been determined. Players like Swin Cash, Deanna Nolan, Cheryl Ford and Katie Smith left their mark during those title years, with former Bad Boy Piston Bill Laimbeer serving as head coach.
There’s been a groundswell of support in recent years, and Gores has responded with a bid and commitment to putting together a competitive franchise in a legacy city — which could give them a leg up among the competition.
The Golden State Valkyries will begin play this season and another franchise, in Toronto, will begin play in 2026.
That brings the league to 14 teams at the moment, with a 15th on the way. There’s plenty of competition for it as the league continues to grow. Detroit and its ownership group are now throwing their hat in the ring.
A woman died, and a person is in custody, in the aftermath of a two-vehicle crash on Friday evening in Detroit.
An emergency call was placed at 7:39 p.m., reporting the crash at Collingwood and Belleterre streets. The Detroit Police Department said one of the drivers was traveling at a high rate of speed on Collingwood and disregarded a stop sign at the intersection, striking the other vehicle.
The crash killed a woman who is in her 40s and injured a man who is also in his 40s. A medical condition was not available for the injured man.
The Detroit Police Department said a suspect is in custody and they are continuing to investigate.
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Federal regulators say the autonomous vehicle company Waymo must stop its cars from blocking first responders. Waymo has been testing its vehicles in Detroit. The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the agency found several cases of Waymo driver-less vehicles traveling into emergency scenes, blocking firefighters or failing to stop for flashing lights and flares. Federal regulators say they will meet with autonomous vehicle developers to devise ways to address the problem. A Waymo vehicle will stop, however, if it notices nefarious activity from kids riding in it. A Waymo car in California recently stopped in a parking lot and called police after two teens in its back seat allegedly began drinking alcohol and shooting water beads from a toy gun.
Additional headlines for Friday, July 10, 2026
Bar IX location coming soon?
Detroit’s first women’s sports bar is crowdfunding to open a permanent space. Bar IX hosts pop-up watch parties for women’s sports. The bar has raised 65 percent of if its 125-thousand-dollar goal since the campaign kicked off on June 30. Organizers are giving away merchandise such as stickers, keychains, and t-shirts with donations.
African World Festival
The African World Festival is this weekend at Hart Plaza. The festival celebrates culture and history with music, spoken word, food and a retail marketplace. The festival starts today and runs through Sunday. Visit Charles H Wright museum website at for more info and to buy tickets.
Lake St. Clair Metropark to receive updates
Lake St. Clair Metropark is getting 15 million dollars in improvements. The improvements include reopening the North Marina, expanding accessibility across the park, adding new trail connections and modernizing infrastructure. It’s the biggest investment in the park in decades. Renovations at the marina will fully reopen the marina with 78 boat slips for transient docking and bring accessible floating finger docks back to the North Marina basin. All renovations are expected to be completed by the end of summer 2027.
Detroit Riverfront tour
The Detroit Parks Coalition is hosting a free walking tour about the Detroit Riverfront tomorrow, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 11a.m. The tour will give an overview of the history of the riverfront as a well as more info on the newest Ralph C Wilson Centennial Park. Meet at the Dock, located near the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Water Garden across from the Plaza. Parking is available along Jefferson Ave, Rosa Parks, and in the nearby Bagley Mobility Hub and Assembly garages.
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