Professional women’s basketball is returning to Detroit. But the new franchise might not have the popular “Detroit Shock” name when it comes back.
The WNBA announced an expansion plan on June 30 that puts new teams in Cleveland (2028) Detroit (2029) and Cleveland (2030), bringing the league to 18 teams.
Advertisement
However, if all goes according to plan, Detroit native Ryan Reed will tip off his own version of the Detroit Shock this year.
More: WNBA star rips Detroit expansion: ‘Don’t know how excited people are … going to Detroit’
Reed is the owner and president of the Women’s Basketball League, a new league that has tried to get off the ground since 2023 and now plans to make its debut in August. He also owns the trademark rights to the “Detroit Shock” name.
According to records from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Reed applied for the rights to the Shock name in July 2023 and was officially registered in February.
Advertisement
“When I first came up with the WBL, it was back in 2019,” he said. “And the popularity still wasn’t there. So I figured it’s a way to bring back some nostalgia. In a way, get back to what a lot of us miss.”
STATE OF HOOPS: How many Michigan high school basketball stars have made it to WNBA?
Reed confirmed that he has been in communication with the WNBA about the possibility of relinquishing the rights to the Detroit Shock. While he couldn’t disclose details, he said that the two have had “cordial conversations.”
The WNBA did not respond to a request for comment.
Reed also filed for the rights for the Cleveland Rockers in September 2023 and received a notice of allowance in October 2024.
Advertisement
Lindsay Lane, owner and managing attorney for Lane Law PLLC in Royal Oak, said in an email that trademarks “can last indefinitely as long as the owner continuously uses the trademark in commerce in relation to certain goods and/or services and maintains their registrations.” She added that the trademark owner must also submit maintenance documents five years following registration, followed by filing a renewal between the nine- and 10-year mark to avoid the risk of losing the trademark.
Lane described the notice of allowance as an approval to use the intended trademark as long as the owner shows proof of using the future trademark “in commerce for it to reach registration.”
If the WNBA did want to regain the rights to the Shock name again, she said, it would have to have to work out a deal with Reed or somehow “establish that it is the rightful owner.”
If not, the league may not be able to use the name.
Advertisement
Reed became a fan of the Shock at age 15 in 2003, when the team won its first championship. He said his passion for women’s basketball grew after watching Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi “hit a halfcourt buzzer-beater.”
His nieces played basketball in college and Reed noticed there weren’t as many opportunities for women to play at the next level as there are for men.
“It’s so hard to get to the WNBA,” he said. “And I just feel like we needed more roster spots, more opportunities to help women get overseas if they wanted to.”
Reed’s WBL has yet to put out a schedule or identify an arena, but a July 3 Instagram post asserted that it will start playing in mid-August. The league’s website shows six teams, located in Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Indiana (with no city identified), and Toronto.
Advertisement
Following the Shock expansion announcement about expanding, Reed said he was happy to hear about the WNBA’s return to the city.
“The more women’s basketball, the better,” Reed said. “My goal is just to help move women’s basketball forward.”
Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.
Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @EricGuzman90.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: WBNA does not own the ‘Detroit Shock’ name
