WNBA files trademark application to bring back ‘Detroit Shock’ as city submits expansion bid

As cities across the country vie for the next Womenâ€s National Basketball Association team, the league quietly filed a trademark application this week for the name “Detroit Shock.â€�

The filing, dated Thursday, notes the intended use is for a basketball team, merchandise, jerseys and in-arena signage that could appear on TV or radio broadcasts. It could offer clues into the leagueâ€s ultimate decision for the location of a new franchise.

On Friday, Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores submitted a bid for the Motor City to host a new team. The ownership group would be led by Gores and also includes Detroit Lions principal owner and chair Sheila Ford Hamp; former Detroit Pistons stars Grant Hill and Chris Webber; General Motors CEO Mary Barra; and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

“Detroit is a sports town that loves its teams deeply and consistently shows up with unwavering passion,� Gores said in a statement.

The WNBA and Detroit Pistons did not immediately respond to CNBCâ€s request for comment on the trademark application.

The new trademark application by the WNBA is the only submission from the professional womenâ€s basketball league since early December, according to Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney at Gerben IP, who is not involved with the specific filing.

Unlike other professional sports leagues where individual teams own their own trademark filings, the WNBA holds the rights to all names and logos for the leagueâ€s franchises, according to Gerben.

“Circumstantial evidence would be that [Detroitâ€s] is a winning bid and theyâ€re very much planning on getting this going to have filed that trademark application,â€� Gerben told CNBC.

However, Gerben said the filing could also be a way for the league to protect itself against “squatters� or others trying to use the name.

Another trademark application was filed for the “Detroit Shockâ€� by an individual named Ryan Reed in July 2023, but that trademark has yet to be approved. A person with the same name, purportedly based in Detroit, identifies as the founder of a womenâ€s basketball league on LinkedIn.

The Detroit Shock were a WNBA team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, from 1998 to 2009. The team won three WNBA Championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008. In 2009, the franchise moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they played until 2015. Today, they play in Arlington, Texas, as the Dallas Wings.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at the WNBA Finals in October that at least 10 cities had expressed interest in launching an expansion team.

“Weâ€re not in a huge rush. Weâ€d like to bring it in â€27 or no later than â€28,â€� Engelbert said at the time in regard to adding a 16th team.

Cleveland, Kansas City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Houston, Austin, Nashville and Milwaukee are among the locations seeking to bring womenâ€s professional basketball to their cities.