Pistons partner with Wayne State to build $25M basketball arena

On May 1, Wayne State University’s Board of Governors approved construction for a $25 million basketball arena to be located at Trumbull and Warren avenues on the west side of the school’s athletic complex. The 70,000-square-foot facility will seat 3,000 fans, and also have space for locker rooms, office space, and concession stands.

The arena will primarily be used as a venue to host games for WSU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. But the university is partnering on the project with the Detroit Pistons to host the team’s NBA G League Affiliate games. The current team, The Drive, play out of Grand Rapids.

Construction is also close to complete on the Pistons’s New Center practice facility, which is expected to open this fall.

The WSU arena could also host various other basketball-related events, like summer camps and clinics or AAU and high school games.

As part of the partnership, the Pistons will provide the university and its students with programming and internship opportunities in sports-related fields to develop skills for those interested in working in the industry.

“One of the overlooked advantages of attending Wayne State is the opportunity to get practical experience with great businesses in our community such as the Detroit Pistons,” said WSU President M. Roy Wilson, in a press release. “With this new partnership, the opportunities will prove even richer.”

Wayne State University

WSU says the new arena is necessary to “accommodate all of its athletic teams and the increase in additional student activities,” and that it will be a “game-changer” for the school’s basketball programs. The teams currently play at the Matthaei Center, constructed in 1965, which seats 1,131.

The university expects the new arena to be ready by the start of the 2021-22 basketball season.