Looking Back At The Detroit Shock, Detroit’s Original WNBA Team
The WNBA is one of the most popular leagues in sports, with women's professional basketball garnering more attention than ever before thanks to electrifying young players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers. With the WNBA coming off its most-viewed season in league history, today's announcement of three new teams joining the NBA was more of an inevitability than a surprise.
The cities the WNBA is expanding to have raised some eyebrows, with Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Detroit announced as expansion teams to join the existing 15 teams. Sports fans may be surprised to learn that this will not only be Detroit's second WNBA team, but that Detroit is a three-time WNBA Championship-winning city. With Women's basketball returning to Michigan in 2029, let's look back at the Detroit Shock.
Looking Back At The Detroit Shock
Two years after the WNBA was founded, the Detroit Shock was introduced to the league. Nancy Lieberman was the team's first coach from 1999 to 2001 and was briefly replaced by Greg Williams. Bill Laimbeer coached from 2002 to 2009, leading them to three championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008.
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The Shock's final season in Detroit was in 2009, and was coached by former Detroit Piston Rick Mahorn after Laimbeer's "shock"ing decision to leave after three games. The team moved to Tulsa, OK the next season.
Two Memorable Shock Games
"The Biggest Brawl in WNBA History"
One of the WNBA's most infamous brawls came in 2008 during the Shock's 3rd championship season. With only 4.5 seconds left in the game, the LA Sparks led by 4 points and were shooting free throws before time expired.
After boxing out on the missed free throw attempt by Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Candace Parker of the LA Sparks threw Plenette Pierson to the ground, causing both teams to clear their benches
The fight resulted in six ejections and ten suspensions, with assistant coach Rick Mahorn getting suspended. The number of suspensions led to the Shock signing their former coach, 50-year-old Nancy Lieberman, to a seven-day contract and played for 9 minutes and 14 seconds in a 79-61 loss to the Houston Comets.
From League Worst to Champions
In 2002, the Detroit Shock were the league's worst team. They finished the season 9-23, and the 2003 team did not have high expectations. The team was one of the youngest in the league, and they had a new coach. However, their terrible 2002 season made it possible for the Shock to acquire pivotal draft picks in 2003.
The starting five was made up of Ruth Riley, the Shock's overall #1 pick, who went on to win the Finals MVP. Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan, and Elaine Powell. This team dominated much of the season, going on to beat the two-time defending champions, the Los Angeles Sparks.
Members of this team went on to play roles in the 2006 and 2008 championships. Despite being around for only 12 years, the Shock still hold the second-most league titles in WNBA history, with three league titles and four conference titles.
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