Which WNBA Teams Don’t Exist Anymore?

The Houston Comets won four titles during their existence, as they were consistently among the basketball betting championship favourites during the late 1990s.

A lot of cities with NBA teams also used to have a WNBA team, but many of them relocated or folded due to financial constraints despite having high WNBA odds of winning a ring.

Let’s take a look at some of the teams that no longer exist.

Which WNBA Teams Don’t Exist Anymore?

List of Defunct WNBA Teams

Charlotte Sting

The Charlotte Sting got to the WNBA Finals in 2001 but were swept by the Los Angeles Sparks in two games.

The Sting attempted to relocate to Kansas City in 2007, but it didn’t work out. The franchise then folded due to low attendance and revenue loss.

Cleveland Rockers

The Cleveland Rockers’ defence allowed just 55.9 points per game during the 2001 season, a record that still stands.

Gordon Gund no longer wished to own the Rockers due to a lack of revenue and attendance, so the team folder since no local ownership was found.

Detroit Shock

The Detroit Shock won three championships (2003, 2006, 2008) but relocated to Tulsa after experiencing financial difficulties and their inability to compete with the other professional teams in the Motor City.

Houston Comets

The Houston Comets won four straight championships from 1997-2000.

Hilton Koch put the team up for sale in 2008, but no investors capitalized on the opportunity to keep the Comets in business.

Sheryl Swoopes won three MVPs with the Comets. 

Miami Sol 

The Miami Sol made the playoffs for the only time in 2001 but fell to the New York Liberty in three games.

They folded due to their inability to raise enough funds.

Orlando Miracle

The Orlando Miracle lost their only playoff series to Cleveland in 2000.

Rich DeVos no longer wanted to own the team, so the Mohegan Indian Tribe, owners of Mohegan Sun, purchased the team, as they are now the Connecticut Sun.

Portland Fire

The Portland Fire are the only WNBA franchise to never make the playoffs.

Owner Paul Allen was experiencing financial problems with the Portland Trail Blazers, so he couldn’t afford to keep the Fire in operation, thus leading to the franchise folding.

Sacramento Monarchs

The Sacramento Monarchs won the championship in 2005, defeating Connecticut 3-1. They are the first women’s professional team to appear on a Wheaties box.

Did you know the Sacramento Monarchs were on a Wheaties box? It’s still on display in our house. Pretty cool! 🤙🏽 pic.twitter.com/9IOZb1jBKx

— 👑Niko Rust 🤙🏽 (@Kings_6thMan) September 20, 2018

The Maloof family no longer wished to operate the Monarchs, so with no new buyer found, they ceased operations.

San Antonio Silver Stars

The San Antonio Silver Stars got to the Finals in 2008 but were swept by Detroit 3-0.

They rebranded as the Stars in 2014 before they moved to Las Vegas to become the Aces, who are consistently high on BetMGM’s online sportsbook to win a championship after winning championships in 2022 and 2023.

The Aces are currently owned by Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and Tom Brady after Davis purchased the franchise from MGM Resorts, who bought the team in 2017, in 2021.

Tulsa Shock

The Tulsa Shock moved to Dallas to become the Wings, as owner Bill Cameron cited Dallas as being the fifth-biggest media market and the largest underserved market for women’s sports as the reasons for making the move.

Utah Starzz

The Starzz got to the conference finals in their last season in Utah before being bought by Peter Holt and Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which led to their relocation to San Antonio.