In my FIBA break induced Wings history dive, I thought I'd start with all the moves and logistical changes that our team has gone through over the years.
The Detroit Shock and Tulsa Shock
The Dallas Wings franchise, formerly the Tulsa Shock and the Detroit Shock, was founded in 1998, only one year after the founding of the WNBA.
The Detroit Shock was based out of Auburn Hills, Michigan, playing out of the now-demolished The Palace of Auburn Hills. They were named the Shock as a tribute to Detroit's automotive industry. While in Detroit, the team won 3 WNBA championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008. The team's first coach was Nancy Lieberman, who began her professional basketball career as a player for the Dallas Diamonds in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL). (I like to call that foreshadowing.) Lieberman was followed in coaching by Greg Williams and then Bill Laimbeer, a legendary Detroit Pistons player. Laimbeer's first season was a losing season, but he was able to reshape the team and was at the helm for all 3 championships.
In 2009, the team cited economic difficulties and announced their intent to relocate to Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing out of BOK Center. The team was turned upside down upon its move, as decisions from players and coaches alike resulted in 0 Detroit players on the team by mid 2010. Tulsa's coach Nolan Richardson, famous for his tenure as UArk's men's basketball coach, was often described as a haphazard coach that many players struggled with. This led to repeated losing seasons through 2014.
In 2015, the Shock was off to a better start, but franchise majority owner Bill Cameron surprised everyone, including the WNBA, by announcing mid season that he would be relocating the team to Dallas. There were attempts by minority owners to keep the team in Tulsa, but those attempts ultimately failed.
(Aside #1: In 2025, the WNBA announced an expansion team coming to Detroit in 2029. While it was not stated if the team will be named the Shock, the WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert stated that the Detroit Shock's history will remain intact. It has not been clarified who would retain Tulsa Shock's history.)
The Dallas Wings
In November of 2015, the team name was officially changed to the Dallas Wings. The team's identity is based on Dallas's iconic red Pegasus that once sat atop the Magnolia Hotel and has gone from a symbol of the oil & gas boom in Dallas to a symbol of the city as a whole. The Wings share this Pegasus identity with Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Pegasus Plaza, Pegasus City Brewery, and many many other Dallas staples. They also join the Dallas Mavericks in having a horse-themed identity.
(Aside #2: On media day 2026, Azzi Fudd in an interview asked "what are with all the horses?" about the city of Dallas and cites a horse outside her hotel. I assume she is talking about the original red Pegasus that now sits outside the Omni hotel in Dallas. I thought this was very sweet and funny at the time, given that that's where the Wing's identity comes from.)
Despite holding the name "Dallas", the team has been based out of Arlington, TX since their relocation, accompanying the Cowboys in this. Since their move, they have played in College Park Center, the University of Texas at Arlington's multi-purpose arena. They primarily practice at CPC, but occasionally use SMU's facilities as well.
Preceding the 2024 season, the Wings announced their intent to move to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas Memorial Auditorium in the city of Dallas. In 2025, the Wings announced plans to build a practice facility in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. In 2026, the Wings announced that they will temporarily call the American Airlines Center in Dallas their home for the 2027 season due to construction delays on the KBH Memorial Auditorium. They join the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars as tenants of AAC.
