Cleveland wants to rejoin the WNBA.

Rock Entertainment Group, which has ties to the NBA’s Cavaliers, is vying to bring a WNBA expansion team back to Northeast Ohio.

“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,” Nic Barlage, CEO of the Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, said Wednesday in a press release. “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.”

The Cleveland Rockers, one of the WNBA’s eight charter franchises, competed in the league from 1997 to 2003. They made the playoffs four times and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in 2000 before the franchise declared bankruptcy after then-Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund was unsuccessful in his attempt to find a new owner for the Rockers .

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said the league wants to add a 16th franchise by the 2028 season. The WNBA will grow to 15 teams over the next two seasons after the addition of Golden State, Portland and Toronto.

–Field-level media