Cleveland Sirens Bring WNBA Back in 2028
CLEVELAND — Professional women's basketball is coming back to Cleveland.
But this time, the city will not be getting the Cleveland Rockers back.
Instead, a new chapter begins in 2028 with the Cleveland Sirens, the WNBA's newest expansion franchise and the league's 16th team.
Rock Entertainment Group officially unveiled the team's name and brand Aug. 4, introducing an identity built around Lake Erie, Cleveland's character and the growing momentum surrounding women's basketball.
The Sirens will play their home games at Rocket Arena, the downtown home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving the new franchise a prominent stage as it prepares for its inaugural WNBA season.
The organization has already given fans a phrase to rally behind:
Hear the Call.
Cleveland's WNBA History Runs Through the Rockers
The return of the WNBA to Cleveland is not the city's first experience with professional women's basketball.
The original Cleveland Rockers were one of the WNBA's inaugural eight franchises when the league began play in 1997.
The Rockers played seven seasons in Cleveland from 1997 through 2003, compiling a 108-112 regular-season record and making four playoff appearances.
The team's most successful season came in 1998.
Cleveland finished 20-10 and atop the Eastern Conference, eventually reaching the WNBA semifinals before falling to the Phoenix Mercury in a three-game series.
The Rockers also featured players who became important figures in women's basketball, including Janice Braxton, who would later become part of the story of Cleveland's WNBA return.
The franchise ultimately folded after the 2003 season when ownership was unable to continue operating the team.
More than two decades later, Cleveland is getting another opportunity.
The WNBA Is Coming Back to Cleveland
The WNBA announced Cleveland as an expansion market on June 30, 2025, awarding the city the league's 16th franchise.
The team is owned and operated by Rock Entertainment Group, the organization led by Dan Gilbert that also operates the Cavaliers and Rocket Arena.
Cleveland was selected as part of a broader period of expansion for the WNBA, with the league also awarding franchises to Detroit and Philadelphia. Cleveland is scheduled to begin play in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.
The franchise's home will be Rocket Arena, a 19,000-seat downtown venue that has already demonstrated its ability to support women's basketball after hosting the 2024 NCAA Women's Final Four.
The team will also use Cleveland Clinic Courts as its practice and training facility.
Why Cleveland Chose the Sirens
For months, fans waited to find out what Cleveland's newest professional sports team would be called.
The organization ultimately chose a name tied closely to the city's geography.
Sirens draws inspiration from Lake Erie and the mythology surrounding the powerful aquatic figures. Team officials described the identity as sharp, fearless, relentless and unapologetic.
The brand is also intentionally separate from the Cavaliers.
Rather than creating a women's version of the NBA franchise, Cleveland's WNBA organization is building its own visual identity, voice and culture.
That distinction is important.
The Sirens are not designed to be the "Lady Cavaliers."
They are intended to stand on their own.
A Logo Built Around Cleveland and the Great Lakes
The team's visual identity reinforces that connection to the water.
The Sirens logo features a siren emerging from Lake Erie, while five flowing strands of hair represent both the five players on a basketball court and the five Great Lakes.
The imagery gives the franchise an immediate connection to Cleveland without relying on the city's more traditional sports branding.
It also gives fans something new to build around.
For a franchise preparing to enter the WNBA at a time of rapid league growth, creating a recognizable identity from the beginning could become one of its most important early advantages.
The Rockers Are Part of the Story — But Not the Franchise
One of the biggest questions surrounding Cleveland's return was whether the organization would bring back the Rockers name.
It did not.
The Sirens represent a new franchise with a separate identity and history.
That does not mean the Rockers have been forgotten.
Former Rockers players and members of the Cleveland basketball community were incorporated into the unveiling, including Braxton, who participated in the promotional rollout for the Sirens.
The approach allows Cleveland to recognize the women who helped establish professional basketball in the city while giving the new franchise room to create its own legacy.
The distinction also matters historically: the Sirens do not inherit the Rockers' statistics, records or accomplishments.
Instead, the two teams will exist as separate chapters of Cleveland's WNBA history.
Cleveland Fans Are Already Answering the Call
The excitement surrounding the franchise has not waited until 2028.
The organization has already held more than 40 community events and accumulated approximately 9,000 initial season-ticket deposits, signaling substantial early interest before the team has played a single game.
That early support is particularly significant because the franchise is still building its roster, basketball operations department and game-day experience.
Fans will have several opportunities to become involved before the inaugural season.
The organization has emphasized community programming, girls' basketball initiatives and opportunities designed to increase access to the sport throughout Ohio and the surrounding region. Earlier in the expansion process, the franchise committed to hosting dozens of camps, clinics, coaching programs and professional-development opportunities for girls and young women.
The goal is to establish the Sirens in Cleveland long before opening night.
What Fans Can Look Forward To
There is still plenty to be determined before the Sirens take the court.
The roster has yet to be built, the inaugural coaching staff and basketball personnel will continue to take shape, and fans will eventually learn more about uniforms, schedules, ticketing and the team's first WNBA Draft selections.
What is already established is the setting.
Rocket Arena will become the home of professional women's basketball in Cleveland.
The franchise will have access to a major downtown venue and a dedicated professional basketball training environment.
And perhaps most importantly, the organization has two years to turn the excitement surrounding the announcement into a sustainable basketball culture.
That process has already begun.
A New Era for Women's Basketball in Cleveland
The return of the WNBA comes at a dramatically different moment for women's sports than the one Cleveland experienced in 2003.
The league is expanding into new markets, attracting larger audiences and building increasingly valuable franchises.
Cleveland is entering that growth period with an established NBA ownership group, a downtown arena, a passionate sports market and a fan base that has already demonstrated interest in the new team.
But the Sirens will ultimately have to create their own connection with the city.
The Rockers gave Cleveland its first chapter.
The Sirens now have the opportunity to write the next one.
From the shores of Lake Erie to the court at Rocket Arena, Cleveland is preparing to hear the call of professional women's basketball once again.
And when the Sirens finally take the floor in 2028, they will not be trying to recreate the past.
They will be building something new.
Cleveland's next WNBA era has a name.
The Sirens have arrived.
Hear the Call.
