CLEVELAND – Cleveland wants to get back into WNBA play.

With interest in women’s pro basketball increasing, Rock Entertainment Group, which is also affiliated with the NBA’s Cavaliers, is trying to bring a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland.

“It has long been woven into our mission to use our platform to unite our community in ways that advance equal opportunity across the board,” said Nic Barlage, CEO of the Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “To that end, we are actively pursuing to bring a WNBA expansion team to Cleveland.

“Cleveland’s vibrant ecosystem of world-class assets, passionate and engaged sports fans, coupled with a culture that has allowed professional sports to thrive, makes our team and our city uniquely positioned to provide an ideal home for the W’s next franchise.”

Cleveland previously had a WNBA team, the Rockers, from 1997 to 2003.

The WNBA will add three expansion teams over the next two seasons, with Golden State, Portland and Toronto joining to increase the league’s number of franchises to 15. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said the WNBA aims to add a 16th team by the 2028 season .

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes recently said he was part of a group trying to get a WNBA franchise in Kansas City. Mahomes is already co-owner of the Kansas City Current, which plays in the National Women’s Soccer League.

St. Louis and Philadelphia have also been mentioned as possible WNBA destinations.

Cleveland could have an advantage over the others because of its strong history with women’s basketball and an NBA-sized arena.

The city hosted this year’s Women’s Final Four at the 19,000-seat Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The games sold out and the events surrounding the weekend drew large crowds, thanks in part to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who led her team to a second-place finish before turning pro and winning Rookie of the Year with the Indiana Fever.

Barlage pointed to the success of the Final Four and the city recently hosting the 2021 NFL draft and the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend as further evidence that a “WNBA team will thrive in Northeast Ohio.”