The team was owned by Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC, which is led by Bill Cameron and David Box.

On July 20, 2015, Cameron announced that the franchise would move to Arlington, Texas[1] for the 2016 WNBA season, rebranding as the Dallas Wings.

The franchise has been home to players such as shooting guard Deanna Nolan, women's professional basketball all-time leading scorer Katie Smith, NBA Hall of Fame forward Karl Malone's daughter Cheryl Ford, and Australian center Liz Cambage.

In 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2008 (as Detroit in the Eastern Conference), the Shock went to the WNBA Finals; they won in 2003, 2006 and 2008, beating Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Antonio, respectively.

The Shock went through two coaches (hall of famer Nancy Lieberman and Greg Williams) before hiring former Detroit Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer.

The Shock defeated the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun to advance to the Finals again, where they faced the defending champion Sacramento Monarchs.

In the Finals, the Shock faced the San Antonio Silver Stars, who had not lost to an Eastern Conference team all season.

However, interim coach Rick Mahorn and the Shock bounced back in the second half of 2009 and eventually placed themselves in the playoffs for the seventh straight year at 18–16.

On October 20, 2009, WNBA President Donna Orender, lead investors Bill Cameron and David Box, Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor, Oklahoma governor Brad Henry, and head coach Nolan Richardson were present for a press conference announcing that the Detroit Shock would relocate to Tulsa.

Cheryl Ford decided to sit out due to lingering injuries and eventually left the WNBA to play overseas.

Along with all the absences, new head coach and general manager Nolan Richardson had his own ideas about what he wanted the roster to look like and by the middle of the 2010 season, there were no Detroit players left on the team.

Richardson's first draft pick, Amanda Thompson, was a bust; she only played seven games (no starts) and was waived only a month into the season.

Another key signing, fallen Olympic track star Marion Jones, turned out to be less than hoped for as well; she hadn't played a meaningful basketball game since her days at North Carolina 13 years earlier.

On July 20, 2015, majority owner Bill Cameron shocked not just fans in Tulsa, but the WNBA itself as he announced he will move the team to Dallas.

The following day, minority owner Stuart Price filed suit against Cameron in a failed attempt to keep the team in Tulsa.

The name stems from the famous Mobil Oil Co. "Flying Horse" atop of a historic downtown Dallas building.