Detroit — Detroit is putting the wheels in motion amid an attempt to welcome the WNBA back to the Motor City. The old Uniroyal tire production site on the Detroit riverfront just west of the MacArthur Bridge that leads to Belle Isle is a possible site for a WNBA practice facility, a source familiar with the situation confirmed Monday to The Detroit News. "We built the Pistons Performance Center in partnership with Henry Ford, which really set a new standard for teams' headquarters or practice facilities around the league," Detroit Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem said on Jan. 31. "They know the quality of the one we built for the Pistons, and we are committed to building an equal one for the new women's team should we get it." The new sports complex would be a step forward in fulfilling the WNBA's priority of providing a preeminent facility to an expansion franchise. Amenities required by the league include around-the-clock player training access, state-of-the-art designated courts, locker rooms, workout facilities and office and lounge space. The facility would also serve as a youth sports complex. The WNBA team will play its home games at Little Caesars Arena. "Our goal is to build this sports campus and develop a youth sports academy for the city of Detroit," Tellem said in January. "A facility to fill a void that currently exists for the children of Detroit where they lack equitable access to equal facilities that are in the suburbs. Hopefully, this will promote healthier bodies and strengthen a community, giving young people a vibrant sports program that they do not currently have." Pistons owner Tom Gores, General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra and Detroit Lions principal owner Sheila Hamp formally submitted a bid for an expansion WNBA team in January. Detroit's WNBA team would play at Little Caesars Arena, bringing another 22-plus sporting events to the city each year while delivering additional economic impact to the restaurants and small businesses in the downtown area. The goal is to become one of four new expansion franchises that the league plans to add by the 2028 season, concurring with its objective to have 16 teams within the next three years. Detroit has a prominent group of investors, highlighted by Basketball Hall of Famers Grant Hill and Chris Webber and Lions Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff. "We have the entire community behind us," said Tellem. "Fans will be there. We have the civic and philanthropic community, and clearly, the business community, which will propel us forward. The entire community wants this." Detroit City Council earlier this month terminated a brownfield redevelopment plan for the 44-acre Uniroyal site between East Jefferson Avenue and the Detroit River, opening it up for other potential uses. The former industrial site has attracted grand visions for decades, from a town within Detroit to a casino, none of which have ever come to fruition. The latest failed plan, approved by the city in 2023, was to create a mixed-used development that had a target completion date of 2042, according to city documents. A development agreement between the city and a group that included former NFL running back Jerome Bettis ended in October. The site has hosted a variety of industrial uses dating to the 1860s. Around 1906, a maker of bicycle tires set up shop on the site, according to archives. From 1917 to 1941, the former U.S. Rubber Co. made automobile tires, after which the former Uniroyal Tires took over and expanded into a 900,000-square-foot facility that operated until the early 1980s. Staff Writer Louis Aguilar contributed. This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Former Uniroyal site in Detroit eyed for WNBA practice facility

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