Cleveland is looking to the future with its new WNBA franchise.The organization will debut in 2028 and be branded as the Cleveland Sirens, the team announced Tuesday.“The Cleveland Sirens are sharp, unapologetic, fearless and relentless, representative of this region, our Great Lake and the future of our city and women’s basketball,” president of business operations Allison Howard said in a news release.Instead of reviving the Cleveland Rockers, who played in the WNBA from 1997 to 2003, the team will begin this chapter with a new identity. Per Howard, the new Cleveland franchise will not absorb the history of the Rockers; they will exist as two separate statistical entities.The Sirens will play at Rocket Arena, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers. Their performance center, a 55,000-square-foot space, is currently in use by their NBA counterparts but is being converted into a facility for the Sirens.The Sirens will be the 16th WNBA team, the next in a rapidly expanding league. Cleveland was awarded an expansion team in June 2025, along with Detroit and Philadelphia, which will join the league in 2029 and 2030. This season, the WNBA welcomed the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, and in 2025, the Golden State Valkyries became the first expansion team since 2008.The Sirens have been building toward their inaugural season, hiring Howard as president of business operations in August of last year. She remained in her role as executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cleveland Cavaliers through the 2025-26 NBA season before fully transitioning into her WNBA role.