{
  "id": 169673,
  "title": "Cleveland’s new WNBA team explain why they don’t want to be linked to the NBA’s Cavaliers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/clevelands-new-wnba-team-explain-why-they-dont-want-to-be-linked-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-05T10:15:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cleveland-wnba-team-explain-why-101543391.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Cleveland Sirens, the newest addition to the WNBA, are consciously distancing themselves from their NBA counterpart, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Executives of the Sirens have made a deliberate effort to establish a unique identity for their team, avoiding any association with the Cavaliers. During a media interview, Allison Howard, a key executive of the Sirens, emphasized their intention to be separate and distinct from the Cavaliers. Howard noted that they do not want to be referred to as the \"Lady Cavaliers\" or use a lightning bolt as their symbol. The Sirens aim to cater to a different demographic than the Cavaliers, taking into account varying eating and purchasing habits within their preferred audience. The Sirens' choice to adopt a unique style mirrors that of other expansion franchises in the WNBA, such as the Golden State Valkyries and the New York Liberty, who also differentiated their brand from their NBA counterparts. The Sirens, being the 16th team in the WNBA, are set to begin their first full season in 2028. The league is currently undergoing a rapid expansion phase, with new teams from Detroit and Philadelphia joining in 2029 and 2030, respectively. The Sirens are majority-owned by the Rock Entertainment Group, the same ownership group that controls the Cavaliers. Cavs Governor Dan Gilbert holds the single-largest stake in the Sirens, with 50.6% ownership. Despite their shared ownership, the Sirens are striving to create a distinct personality, separate from that of the Cavaliers.",
  "summary": "The new Cleveland Sirens of the WNBA look very different from the city’s NBA team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Sirens’ unveiling saw Cleveland’s new WNBA team lean into royal blue as its primary colour, and a name that pays homage to Lake Erie and Greek mythology.",
  "key_points": [
    "Cleveland Sirens avoid NBA Cavaliers association.",
    "Executives reject \"Lady Cavaliers\" moniker.",
    "Sirens target different demographic than Cavaliers."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}