Strategic Networking and High-Profile Investors
When Detroit competed against vibrant southern markets like Austin, Nashville, and Miami for a WNBA expansion franchise, Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem bypassed traditional promotional pitches in favor of direct, high-level outreach. According to Sports Business Journal, Tellem and former Pistons Chief Operating Officer Rich Haddad mapped out a roster of elite investors in 2024. Their primary objective was to assemble what Haddad described as the most decorated ownership group in professional sports history, leaning heavily on established connections to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
The recruitment process began with targeted phone calls. Tellem first contacted Grant Hill, a former Pistons star, head of USA Basketball, and Duke University board of trustees colleague of Silver, who immediately agreed to join. Hill subsequently directed Tellem toward General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra, who also sat on the Duke board and quickly signed on. The group expanded to include Detroit Lions owner and Chairwoman Sheila Ford Hamp, Ilitch Enterprises President Denise Ilitch, and members of the Davidson family—whose patriarch previously owned Detroit’s historic WNBA franchise, the Shock. The investor roster ultimately grew to feature Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Detroit rapper Eminem, creating a formidable coalition of civic and business leaders.
Leveraging Key Connections and Facility Commitments
Tellem’s strategy also utilized institutional relationships within the league’s expansion process. Steve Greenberg, managing director at Allen & Company and a close colleague of Tellem, was leading the WNBA’s expansion selection. While maintaining an insider track, Tellem focused heavily on infrastructure to secure final approval from league leadership. During a visit by Adam Silver to Detroit to address Pistons employees, Tellem presented owner Tom Gores’ commitment to construct a $50 million, 75,000-square-foot WNBA training facility, accompanied by an adjacent 100,000-square-foot youth complex designed to foster interaction between professional athletes and local youth.
Pistons owner Tom Gores noted that Tellem’s ability to mobilize powerful local stakeholders proved decisive. By June 2025, the strategic effort culminated in an official league announcement: Detroit was officially awarded a WNBA expansion team slated to begin play in 2029. The successful bid proved that meticulous networking and robust facility commitments could overcome the allure of warmer, fast-growing Sun Belt markets.