Cleveland Sirens: Cleveland's new WNBA team reveals its name ahead of 2028 debut
Cleveland's WNBA expansion franchise will be called the Cleveland Sirens, a name unveiled at Rocket Arena that restores top-flight women's basketball to the city after a 25-year absence ahead of a 2028 debut.
Cleveland's new WNBA expansion team is called the Cleveland Sirens. The name was revealed on August 4, 2026, at Rocket Arena. The Sirens, owned by Dan Gilbert, are scheduled to begin play in 2028, returning the WNBA to Cleveland after a 25-year absence.
Cleveland's new WNBA expansion franchise has a name. Rock Entertainment Group announced on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, that the team will be called the Cleveland Sirens, unveiling the name and logo at Rocket Arena, where the team will play its home games. The Sirens are scheduled to begin WNBA play in 2028. The franchise, established in 2025, is owned by Dan Gilbert, who also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be the city's second WNBA team: the Cleveland Rockers began play in 1997, and the league has been absent from Cleveland for 25 years. The team's blue color palette is designed to reflect the gradient of Lake Erie from its depths to its surface, and also pays tribute to the Rockers. The name itself draws on figures from Greek mythology. The announcement ends more than a year of market research and gives Cleveland fans an identity to rally around two years before tip-off. It also marks a significant step in the WNBA's expansion, returning the league to one of its original markets.
Cleveland's WNBA team gets its name: the Sirens
Rock Entertainment Group revealed the name on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at an announcement held at Rocket Arena, the downtown venue where the team will eventually play its home games. The unveiling included a name and logo reveal video, according to reports of the event.
The franchise itself was established in 2025, when Cleveland was awarded a WNBA expansion team. It is owned by Dan Gilbert, the businessman who also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, the city's NBA franchise. That connection places the Sirens within an existing sports operation rather than a newly built ownership structure, and it means the team will share both an arena and an owner with the Cavaliers when it takes the floor.
The announcement at Rocket Arena marked the first time the public learned what the team would be called, ending months of speculation about the identity of Cleveland's expansion club. Officials said the selection followed more than a year of market research, according to reports, though the sources do not specify when that process began or ended.
The Sirens are scheduled to begin WNBA play in 2028, giving the organization roughly two years between the name reveal and its first game. Details such as the team's head coach, general manager and roster have not yet been announced.
Why 'Sirens': mythology, Lake Erie and a blue gradient
The Sirens name reaches back to Greek mythology, to the figures whose song was said to be impossible to resist. According to the team, the choice also references the power and pull of Lake Erie, tying the mythological allure to the body of water that defines Cleveland's northern edge. Reports suggest the name leans on the city's proximity to the lake as much as on the classical reference.
The visual identity carries the same theme. The team's blue color palette is designed to reflect the gradient of Lake Erie, running from its depths to its surface. The blue serves a second purpose as well: it pays tribute to the Rockers, the WNBA franchise that played in Cleveland beginning in 1997. In that sense the palette works as both geography and history, linking the new team to the lakefront and to the city's earlier chapter in the league.
The name and logo were presented in a reveal video, according to reports, as part of the announcement made by Rock Entertainment Group at Rocket Arena.
The choice was not made quickly. Officials conducted more than a year of market research before settling on the name, according to reports, though the sources do not specify when that process began or ended. The result is an identity built on two foundations: the mythological Sirens and the lake that sits at the heart of the city's identity. The team has not disclosed the exact shade names or the full color palette beyond the blue gradient theme.
A 25-year wait: from the Rockers to the Sirens
Cleveland's relationship with the WNBA stretches back to the league's earliest days. The Cleveland Rockers began play in the city in 1997, giving Cleveland one of the WNBA's original franchises and its first professional women's basketball team. The Rockers were the city's entry point into the league, and for years they were its only one.
Then the league left. According to reports, the WNBA's absence from Cleveland stretched to 25 years before the new expansion franchise was established in 2025. That gap — a quarter of a century without a team — frames the Sirens' arrival as a restoration as much as an expansion. The franchise, owned by Dan Gilbert, will be only the second WNBA team in Cleveland's history, and the first since the Rockers era ended.
The new ownership group has made clear it does not intend to erase that earlier chapter. The Sirens' blue color palette, designed to reflect the gradient of Lake Erie from its depths to its surface, carries a second, deliberate meaning: it pays tribute to the Rockers and the identity they built in the city. The color choice ties the new franchise directly to its predecessor, linking a team that has yet to play a game to one that tipped off nearly three decades ago.
The Sirens are scheduled to begin play in 2028, taking the floor at Rocket Arena — the same venue where Rock Entertainment Group revealed the name on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. When they do, they will inherit both a market and a memory.
Cleveland's first WNBA team, the Rockers, begins play in the city.
The Cleveland WNBA expansion franchise is established.
Rock Entertainment Group publicly reveals the team name, the Cleveland Sirens, at a Tuesday morning announcement at Rocket Arena, including a name and logo reveal video.
The Cleveland Sirens are scheduled to begin WNBA play, returning the league to Cleveland after a 25-year absence.
The key dates and numbers behind the expansion
The franchise was established in 2025, making it one of the newest additions to the WNBA's expansion wave. Rock Entertainment Group revealed the name publicly on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at an announcement held at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
The team is scheduled to begin WNBA play in 2028, according to the team's announcement, though no specific date for the first game has been set. That leaves a gap of roughly two years between the naming and the on-court debut, a runway the franchise will use to build out its basketball operations.
Ownership sits with Dan Gilbert, who also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. The Sirens will share his downtown arena: home games will be played at Rocket Arena, the same building that hosts the Cavaliers. Allison Howard is also associated with the franchise's leadership.
The numbers, in brief: established in 2025, named on August 4, 2026, and slated to take the floor in 2028. When the Sirens do tip off, they will become the second WNBA franchise in Cleveland's history, following the Rockers, who began play in the city in 1997.
Why the reveal is drawing attention now
The announcement carries weight beyond a simple branding exercise. For Cleveland, it marks the formal return of the WNBA to a city that has been without a franchise for 25 years, according to reports. The city's first team, the Rockers, began play in 1997, and the league has been absent ever since. The expansion franchise, established in 2025 and owned by Dan Gilbert, now has a public identity two full seasons before it takes the court.
The timing also speaks to the WNBA's broader expansion momentum. Cleveland is part of a wave of new franchises joining the league, and the decision to unveil a name, logo and color palette this far in advance reflects how seriously ownership is treating the build-up. According to reports, officials spent more than a year on market research before settling on the Sirens name, suggesting the identity is meant to anchor the franchise's relationship with the city well before tip-off.
The reveal drew national coverage, with the Washington Post and USA Today among the outlets reporting on the Tuesday morning event at Rocket Arena. According to those reports, Rock Entertainment Group used a reveal video to introduce the name and logo, turning what could have been a routine announcement into a moment for a fan base that has waited a quarter-century for the league's return.
What happens between now and the 2028 tip-off
The Cleveland Sirens will not take the court until 2028, leaving a gap of roughly two years between Tuesday's name reveal and the franchise's first game. When that moment arrives, the team will play its home games at Rocket Arena, the same venue where Rock Entertainment Group staged the announcement and where Dan Gilbert's Cleveland Cavaliers already play.
Much of what will define the team on the floor remains undecided. The franchise has not named a head coach. It has not appointed a general manager. There is no roster, and no indication of when one might begin to take shape. The sources consulted for this article give no date in 2028 for the Sirens' first game, only the year.
What is established is the framework around the team. The franchise itself was established in 2025, and its identity — the Sirens name, the blue gradient palette drawn from Lake Erie, the nod to the Rockers — is now public. According to reports, officials spent more than a year on market research before settling on the name, though neither the start nor the end of that process has been disclosed.
For now, the work ahead of the 2028 debut happens behind the scenes, and the franchise has said little about its timeline for filling the roles that remain open.
Frequently asked questions
What is the name of Cleveland's new WNBA team?
Cleveland's new WNBA expansion franchise will be called the Cleveland Sirens. Rock Entertainment Group announced the name on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at Rocket Arena. The team is owned by Dan Gilbert, who also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it will be the second WNBA franchise in the city's history, following the Rockers.
When will the Cleveland Sirens start playing in the WNBA?
The Sirens are scheduled to begin play in the WNBA in 2028, according to reports. The franchise was established in 2025, and its arrival would bring a WNBA team back to Cleveland after an absence of 25 years. The exact date of the team's first game in 2028 has not been announced.
Why is Cleveland's WNBA team called the Sirens?
The name draws on figures from Greek mythology and, according to the team, references the power and pull of Lake Erie. Officials reportedly conducted more than a year of market research before selecting it. The team's blue color palette is designed to reflect the gradient of Lake Erie from its depths to its surface.
Has Cleveland had a WNBA team before?
Yes. The Cleveland Rockers began play in the city in 1997 as one of the league's early franchises. The Sirens will be the second WNBA team in Cleveland's history, and the blue coloring pays tribute to the Rockers. The new franchise returns the league to the city after a 25-year absence.
Where will the Cleveland Sirens play their home games?
The Sirens will play their home games at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, the same venue where Rock Entertainment Group revealed the team name and logo. The franchise is owned by Dan Gilbert, who also owns the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.
Compiled from reporting by 10 independent outlets. How we source our reporting.
