The Cavaliers vs. the Warriors is one of the NBA’s strongest rivalries in recent history as the teams battled in four consecutive Finals in the mid-to-late 2010s.

Golden State has carried its formula to its organization’s inaugural season in the WNBA. The Valkyries enter the All-Star break with a 10–12 record and have sold out all 11 of their home games—setting the precedent for the five expansion teams coming from 2026 to 2030, including a team in Cleveland in 2028.

Cleveland’s WNBA team, like Golden State, is led by the ownership group of its NBA counterpart—a recipe the WNBA followed for the three expansion teams announced at the end of June. Cleveland is led by Rock Entertainment Group (REG), which is owned by Dan Gilbert and also runs the NBA G League’s Cleveland Charge and AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

A large part of the Valkyries’ early success stems from the basketball infrastructure it had already established with its NBA team. They share Chase Center with the Warriors, and their practice facility in Oakland is the renovated version of the Warriors’ previous facility.

Cleveland is following a similar formula. Its WNBA franchise will share Rocket Arena with the Cavaliers and practice at the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center, the NBA franchise’s current facility. That facility will also be renovated, while the Cavaliers move into a new practice facility in 2027.

“This is going to be a unified group,” Rock Entertainment Group CEO Nic Barlage tells Front Office Sports. “We’re really going to have a shared services model. Everything from training to modality to working out and nutrition.”

Cleveland’s WNBA Team Follows Golden State’s Proven Blueprint