Arlington lands WNBA team from Tulsa
WNBA owners on Thursday unanimously approved the relocation of the Tulsa Shock to Arlington.
The team will finish this season in Tulsa before beginning play at the College Park Center at UT Arlington in 2016, subject to approval by the University of Texas system’s board of regents. The season runs from May through September.
The Shock began in 1998 in Detroit and won championships in 2003, ’05 and ’08 before moving to Tulsa in 2009.
The Shock (10-8) features former Irving MacArthur star Odyssey Sims, a guard who played on Baylor’s 40-0 national championship team in 2011-12.
Two of her teammates also played college basketball in Texas: former Duncanville star Tiffany Jackson-Jones (Texas) and Plenette Pierson (Texas Tech).
The brightest star on the current Shock roster is guard Skylar Diggins. The former Notre Dame All-American suffered a season-ending knee injury on June 28 after having been selected by fan balloting as an All-Star starter.
Shock guard Riquna Williams has been added to Sunday’s All-Star game after Diggins’ injury. Pierson is also an All-Star reserve.
She was the third overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft. After averaging 20.1 points a game last season, Diggins won the 2015 ESPY as Best WNBA Player.
“Having a WNBA team playing at UT Arlington’s College Park Center will add tremendously to the rich sports environment at, and around, the university,” UTA president Vistasp M. Karbhari said in a statement.
“This adds a new dimension to the growing emergence of UTA in athletics since it will expand exponentially the ways our students can learn from, interact with, and experience the excitement and professionalism of a major women’s sports team.
“This addition to our community also opens tremendous prospects for our students in areas beyond attending games, and we look forward to developing strong partnerships in a range of beneficial activities.”
About 20,000 students are enrolled in summer classes at UTA, a spokeswoman said.
Shock majority owner Bill Cameron announced his plans to move the team to Texas on Monday. He said the move makes sense because the Dallas area is the largest underserved market for women’s sports and has the nation’s fifth-biggest media market.
“Today is a truly exciting day, and we thank the WNBA for its support in approving the relocation to the Dallas-Fort Worth marketplace,” Cameron said in a statement.
Cameron holds a majority stake, as does David Box, and there are 11 minority owners as well.
In a letter sent to the other owners Monday, Cameron said that although revenues from the league have increased and a sponsorship from Osage Casino has been helpful, he has “willingly paid $6.2 million to ensure we covered the losses and kept the team and the organization viable.”
The Shock’s attendance improved from 4,812 in 2010 to 5,566 in 2014, according to the Tulsa World. The College Park Center seats 7,000.
The league’s 12 teams includes one other in Texas, the San Antonio Stars.
This report contains material from The Associated Press.
This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Arlington lands WNBA team from Tulsa."