So when the Lions advanced to the NFC Championship Game in early 2024, Hill didn’t just cheer — she used the moment to express why it held such deep meaning. To her, Detroit has always been mocked, treated like a joke by those who don’t get it. And that sort of insult lingers when it’s the place you call home.

Maybe that’s why Monday’s WNBA expansion announcement struck such a powerful chord with Hill.

The league revealed plans to add three new franchises over the coming years: Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. Both Cleveland and Detroit had WNBA teams in the past — the Rockers (1997–2003) and Shock (1998–2009), respectively.

For Hill, Monday’s news represented the return of something that never should’ve been lost.

“It means so much that Detroit is getting its WNBA team back,” she wrote. “This isn’t just a part of Detroit’s broader revival — it gives the Shock their deserved place to carry on a proud legacy. The Shock are the WNBA’s most overlooked dynasty (yes, I said it). This is MASSIVE.”

She’s right when it comes to that dynasty claim.

The Detroit Shock joined the league in 1998 as an expansion franchise. Supported by Pistons ownership and coached by Bad Boys legend Bill Laimbeer from 2002 to 2009, they won three titles in six seasons (2003, 2006, 2008). That success coincided with the Pistons’ 2004 title, cementing Detroit’s hoops dominance in the 2000s.

But in 2009, the team was suddenly relocated to Tulsa. While the Shock name remained, almost everything else changed. The colors, the city ties, and eventually the legacy disappeared — rebranded as the Dallas Wings.