Shock moving to Tulsa
10/20/2009The WNBA's Detroit Shock are moving to Tulsa, Okla., a team official said.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity yesterday because he was not authorized to make the announcement.
Detroit made its debut in the league in 1998 and won titles in 2008, 2006 and
2003. The Shock lost last month to the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference finals.
Last week, a group of investors in Tulsa said they would formally apply to the WNBA to purchase a franchise.
Lead investor Bill Cameron has said his group, called Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC, will exercise its option to buy a WNBA team and expected a decision from the league by the end of October.
Cameron and fellow investor David Box announced last month that former Tulsa and Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson would serve as the WNBA team's coach and general manager if Tulsa landed a franchise.
A spokesman for Cameron and Box said neither one was available for comment but said a news conference was scheduled for this morning and that "details would be forthcoming then."
The Shock had a lot of success on the court, but not in the stands.
In the 2003 WNBA finals, Detroit did draw 22,076 fans - setting a record for the largest crowd to watch a women's professional basketball game - but most games were sparsely attended with a curtain covering up the upper level of The Palace of Auburn Hills.