Jemele Hill sees justice in WNBA’s ‘incredibly meaningful’ return to Detroit

Jemele Hill is Detroit through and through.

So when the Lions made their run to the NFC Championship Game in early 2024, Hill not only celebrated the moment, but she took the time to explain why it mattered. For her, Detroit has always been a city people mock, a punchline outsiders don’t understand. And that kind of disrespect sticks with you when you’re from there.

Maybe that’s why Monday’s WNBA expansion news hit Hill on such a personal level, too.

The league announced it’s adding three new franchises over the next few years: Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. Cleveland and Detroit previously had WNBA teams, the Rockers (1997-2003) and Shock (1998-2009), respectively.

And for Hill, Monday’s announcement marked the return of something that should’ve never been taken away.

“It is just so incredibly meaningful that Detroit is getting its WNBA team back,” she wrote. “This is not only continuing the momentum of Detroit’s overall resurgence, but it will allow the Shock to take its rightful place and continue a proud tradition. The Shock is the most disrespected dynasty in WNBA history (yeah, I said it). This is absolutely HUGE.”

She’s not wrong about the dynasty part.

The Detroit Shock entered the league in 1998 as one of the W’s first expansion teams. Backed by Pistons ownership and coached from 2002–09 by Bad Boy legend Bill Laimbeer, the Shock captured three titles in six seasons (2003, 2006, 2008). That stretch overlapped with the Pistons’ own 2004 championship, as the Motor City became a true basketball powerhouse in the early 2000s.

But in 2009, the team was abruptly moved to Tulsa. The Shock name stayed, but little else did. Gone were the colors, the connection to the city, and eventually, the legacy, which was eventually repackaged as the Dallas Wings.

Now, after a two-decade detour, the W is finally coming back to Detroit. And perhaps the Shock name will, too.