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Report: Cleveland Cavaliers owner to launch bid to bring WNBA team to Northeast Ohio

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Report: Cleveland Cavaliers owner to launch bid to bring WNBA team to Northeast Ohio


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With WNBA expansion on the horizon, multiple reports say that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert intends to make a bid to bring a franchise back to Cleveland.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has talked about the league having 16 teams by the 2028 season. The league will be at 13 teams to start the 2025 season with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries. Toronto and Portland, Oregon have already been announced as the home of future franchises.

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Gilbert, whose Rock Entertainment Group also owns the Columbus Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, in addition to the Cavaliers told CNBC, “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.”

Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage also spoke to CNBC, which was the first to report on the bid, about the potential of the WNBA finding a home in Cleveland.

“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,” he said.

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Cleveland hosted one of the WNBA’s eight original teams. From 1997 to 2003, the Cleveland Rockets competed in the league before the franchise folded due to low attendance.

Last year, Columbus added a professional women’s team to its city, as it welcomed the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Columbus Fury.

Columbus also had its own professional women’s basketball team, the Columbus Quest, which lasted two seasons from 1996-1998 in the now-defunct America Basketball League.

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bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15





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Cleveland, OH

Cleveland’s First Round woes must end with the 2026 class

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Cleveland’s First Round woes must end with the 2026 class


Two of the keys for Cleveland’s near and long-term future are how both of their first-round picks perform in their rookie seasons. Both Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion are under a lot of pressure to show that they have what it takes to be long-term pieces in this league.

It is going to be a challenge for both of them, as the Browns offense is very young throughout and will also have a major question mark at the quarterback position. With all of the aside, the Browns have had a very rough go at it with their first-round picks in the last 20 years.

We are examining the careers of the last 10 to see which ones were worth the selection and which ones were a bust. Spoiler alert, it’s heavily weighted to the latter.

Cleveland’s last eleven first-round picks are a roller coaster of results, which is the reason they have been perpetually stuck in a rebuild.

2015 Round 1 Pick 12: DT Danny Shelton

Cleveland went with the defensive line to start the 2015 draft and took one of the biggest busts of that first round. Shelton had potential but never grew into it. It is always a risk going DL in the first round because if the result isn’t a home run, it is likely a failure.

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2015 Round 1 Pick 19: OT Cameron Erving

DL and OL were within just a few picks away from each other with the intent of bolstering their lines of scrimmage, it didn’t work. Erving spent only two seasons in Cleveland before being traded to Kansas City in 2017.

2016 Round 1 Pick 15: WR Corey Coleman

This was one pick that I personally got excited about when it happened, and then that was the best part of the Corey Coleman tenure. He never materialized as a player in the NFL and was one of the biggest busts from the 2016 draft.

2017 Round 1 Pick 1: DE Myles Garrett

The moment that Myles Garrett hits five years after retirement, he will walk right through the doors in Canton, Ohio. The only hope is that his career comes back to Cleveland before it ends.

2017 Round 1 Pick 25: S Jabrill Peppers

Peppers brought an attitude and a swagger to the back end of the Browns’ defense. He ended up being an average Cleveland Brown because, in my opinion, he was massively misused in his time in Cleveland.

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2017 Round 1 Pick 29: TE David Njoku

Many Browns fans were hoping Njoku would retire as a Cleveland Brown, but it wasn’t in the cards. It was nine seasons of good to very good for Njoku. He, like many, suffered from horrible QB play throughout his career, and it cost him the prime of his career.

2018 Round 1 Pick 1: QB Baker Mayfield

It was always so close with Baker. He had the right attitude to turn the Cleveland franchise around, but he could never get out of his own way. Turnovers, immaturity, and a string of bad coaching cost him what could have been an incredibly special career.

2018 Round 1 Pick 4: CD Denzel Ward

Ward has been a slam dunk pick from his literal first game. In that opening game, Ward intercepted Ben Roethlisberger twice and began what has been an amazing career in Cleveland. His time here is coming to a close, but he was everything and more than what the Browns could have asked for.

2019 Round 1 Pick 17: Traded to New York for Odell Beckham Jr.

2020 Round 1 Pick 10: OT Jedrick Wills Jr.

This one hurts because Andrew Berry selected Wills three spots ahead of Tristan Wirfs, who is on his way to what could be a Hall-of-Fame career.

2021 Round 1 Pick 26: CB Greg Newsome III

Newsome loved playing for the Cleveland Browns more than anything. His game never matched his infinite love for the city, as he just lacked some of the required skills to be a lockdown DB. No one will ever forget his pick six against Baltimore to come back on the Ravens.

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2022 Round 1 Pick 13: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson

2023 Round 1 Pick 12: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson

2024 Round 1 Pick 23: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson

2025 Round 1 Pick 5: DT Mason Graham

Graham played very well in his first year in Cleveland, but again, it is a major risk to take a DT in the first round, let alone the top 5. He has to be a home run hit, or else there will be a lot of questions.

The first round has been quite the roller coaster for the Browns over the past 15 years. It is no surprise to Browns fans, but reliving the ups and downs is always a good thought experiment about what could have been if Cleveland had made the right picks consistently.

The hope now is that their most recent picks, Fano and Concepcion, prove that they fall into that category and will be in Cleveland for a very long time.



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Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead

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Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – U.S. Marshals say a wanted sex offender was arrested early Friday morning at the same home where a missing Tennessee mother was found dead on July 3.

Matthew Hensley, 43, was wanted by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for failing to register his address after a conviction of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

“Today along with Cleveland Police SWAT, Deputy Sheriffs from Cuyahoga County and my Deputy Marshals, we hit that house and we found Hensley in that house hiding in a bench area and a wall and a secret compartment that he had constructed,” said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott

Matthew Hensley in a convicted sex offender now wanted by the sheriff’s department for failure to register. He can be identified by his religious tattoo of Jesus on his neck.(Source: Cuyahoga County Sheriff)

According to the U.S. Marshals, he had additional charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor from an indictment in 2022.

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Law enforcement has been searching for Hensley for over two months, according to a release.

Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead
Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead(Harleigh Dawn)

Hensley was featured on Cuyahoga’s Most Wanted on Thursday.

The task force said it received numerous tips about Hensley’s whereabouts all across the Cleveland area.

He was found hiding in a cabinet at a home located at 3490 Bosworth Road and taken into custody without incident.

A 37-year-old Tennessee woman was found dead outside a Cleveland home last week after...
A 37-year-old Tennessee woman was found dead outside a Cleveland home last week after traveling to meet a man she had been communicating with through an online video game, according to a friend of the victim.(WOIO)

On July 3, Amber Graham, 37, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, was found dead outside at the same address.

Police and fire personnel discovered her body covered in a sheet.

In the Cleveland police report connected to Graham’s death, Hensley is listed as a involved person.

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Child found alone at fire station

Graham’s friend told 19 News she had brought her 8-year-old daughter with her on a trip to meet a man she had been communicating with through an online video game.

On July 1, the child walked into a Cleveland fire station alone.

Officials would not confirm the child’s relation to Graham but confirmed an 8-year-old did arrive at the fire station last week.

“They assessed her for any medical issues that she would have. She appeared uninjured, but she had a phone number in her pocket for her grandmother in Tennessee. It’s my understanding. But in that situation, we called police. They called Child Protective Services,” said Lt. Mike Norman of the Cleveland Fire Department.

A friend of the victim’s said the child was Graham’s.

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Friends raise alarm

Joshua LaCroix, a friend of Graham’s who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, said Graham had told him and his wife she was planning the trip to Cleveland to meet a man she had connected with through a video game.

During the trip, Graham called LaCroix, saying he heard a man in the background who was angry with her.

“That was the last conversation that me and my wife had with her,” LaCroix said.

When Graham stopped responding, friends and family grew concerned.

“She never misses a shift. No one can reach her. Last thing we know, she was in Cleveland. So like, something’s not right. She’s supposed to be here at work and she’s not,” LaCroix said.

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Graham’s family reported her missing to authorities on July 2.

Facebook group helps locate home

LaCroix said he reached out to a Cleveland Facebook page for help tracking down Graham. Members of the group identified a home they believed she may have visited.

“The police were able to get to the house and, you know, discover what they discovered,” LaCroix said.

LaCroix described Graham as someone who cared for others.

“She’s just a genuine person. And she’s a good person. She’s the kind of person who will care for you without much reason to do so,” he said.

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Investigation ongoing

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner is investigating Graham’s cause of death. No arrests or charges have been made.

Cleveland police said they are awaiting the medical examiner’s ruling before potentially opening a criminal investigation.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.



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Wanted: Sex offender on the run after crimes against a child

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Wanted: Sex offender on the run after crimes against a child


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -This week’s Cuyahoga’s Most Wanted features a Cleveland man on the run for failing to maintain his sex offender registry.

According to Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County, Matthew Hensley was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in a 2002 case.

Matthew Hensley in a convicted sex offender now wanted by the sheriff’s department for failure to register. He can be identified by his religious tattoo of Jesus on his neck.(Source: Cuyahoga County Sheriff)

It’s reported his victim was under the age of 16-years-old.

He has failed to register, and failed to notify the sheriff’s department of his change of address.

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He is now facing the following charges:

• Unlawful sexual conduct with a minor

• Failure to provide notice of change of address

Hensley is 5’8” and 159 lbs. and has a tattoo of Jesus on his neck as well as a tribal dragon on his left arm and praying hands with roses on his right arm.

He was last known to be staying in the 1200 block of W. 65th Street in Cleveland.

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If anyone knows where Hensley is, call Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County.

All calls to 216-252-7463 can remain completely anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.



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