Cleveland Set for WNBA Revival in 2028

Rock & Roll Redux: Cleveland’s WNBA Team Name Odds Point to a Rockers Revival

Cleveland will return to the WNBA in 2028, and the frontrunner for the team’s name is a revival of the “Cleveland Rockers,” the city’s original WNBA franchise. The league has refiled a trademark for the name, and Cavaliers leadership has confirmed it’s under serious consideration. Still, new names based on Cleveland’s musical and civic history are also circulating. With fan engagement promised, the city’s name game is live.

With that in mind, BetOhio.com compiled a list of potential team names for Cleveland’s second WNBA franchise, starting with the aforementioned Rockers and including various names that have a cultural connection with the Buckeye State metropolis. Will the WNBA be a focal point across Ohio sports betting? Bet on it.

Cleveland WNBA Team Name Odds

Team Name	Source/Label	Odds	Implied Probability (%)
Cleveland Rockers	Reported (Legacy name/trademark filed)	+300	25.0%
Cleveland Rush	Speculative (Music/energy theme)	+500	16.7%
Cleveland Rhythm	AI-Generated (Rock & roll reference)	+550	15.4%
Cleveland Burn	AI-Generated (Symbol of intensity and transformation)	+600	14.3%
Field (Any Other Name)	All other possibilities	+600	14.3%

The History of Cleveland Rockers and Their WNBA Legacy

From the WNBA’s debut season of 1997 through 2003, the Rockers were among the original, eight team edition of the WNBA, winning a conference title in 1998 and securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference after going 22-10 in 2001.

Still, that on-court success wasn’t enough to keep the team in business, as then-Cavaliers (and Rockers) owner Gordon Gund decided to sell the team in 2003. After no buyers emerged, the Rockers wound up folding in 2003, setting an unenvied precedent of becoming the first team in league history to make the playoffs in their final season of play.

During the team’s seven year run in the city, the Rockers posted a 108-112 (.491) record with future Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Suzie McConnell-Serio and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Lynette Woodard both playing for the club during that stretch.

Fast forward two decades and women’s professional basketball is returning to Cleveland, with the city’s second WNBA club beginning play in 2028 and joining Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) as the three newest entrants in the league.

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Cleveland Rockers Revival: WNBA Team Name Odds and Predictions

While we’re likely a long way from learning what Cleveland’s newest WNBA team will be called, there’s a solid shot that owner Dan Gilbert will go with the Rockers nickname given the city’s longstanding connection with the genre.

Gilbert’s ownership group is named ‘Rock Entertainment Group,’ while the WNBA previously applied to trademark the Rockers nickname earlier this year, per Sports Business Journal. That gives fans a hint as to where the club will go, naming wise, when they take the court in a few years.

What we know for sure right now is that Gilbert and company will lead the 16th team in the modern era WNBA, coming on the heels of the Golden State Valkyries (who started play this season), the Toronto Tempo and the still-unnamed Portland WNBA team hitting the floor for the first time in 2026.

Given the existing Rockers trademark and the city’s standing connection with the nickname, we’re going with a return to the past in Cleveland, with the city’s second WNBA team honoring their predecessors (naming wise, at least) when they take the court for the first time in 2028.

USA Today photo by Matt Detrich.

Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan writes for BetOhio.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.