Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and his wife Christen are part of an investment group that made a formal bid to bring a WNBA team back to Detroit.
Pistons owner Tom Gores submitted the bid and has put together a solid investment group that includes Lions owner Sheila Hamp.
“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 released statement. “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 Detroit Shock left the city back in 2009 after winning WNBA championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008.
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“Detroit is a sports town that loves its teams deeply and consistently shows up with unwavering passion,” Gores said. “At a critical moment in the growth and development of the WNBA, it supported the hometown team more than any other franchise in the league. We’re here to rekindle that legacy.”
The statement indicated that in addition to Goff and his wife, Gores and Hamp, other investors include former Piston Grant Hill and his wife, Tamia, former Piston and Detroit native Chris Webber, Arn and Nancy Tellem and an array of additional sports, entertainment, media business and finance leaders.
“I’m also pleased with the broader partnerships we’re already putting together around this bid,” said Gores. “I’m excited for what we can achieve together in building a winner on the court and in the community.”
