WNBA expansion needs to happen. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently told The Athletic that the league hopes to expand by the 2024 season. With that hope comes two potential new teams. These two new teams would be the first expansion franchises since the Atlanta Dream began play in 2008. The league has been sitting at 12 teams since 2010 after the Sacramento Monarchs folded in December 2009. Per the report from The Athletic, the WNBA has narrowed its list of potential host cities to twelve. Among the candidates on that list are Nashville, Philadelphia, Oakland, San Francisco, Toronto, and Portland. The plan is for the league to narrow down finalists late this year.
When looking at potential expansion cities, you have to look at many things. Existing infrastructure, desire for a team, and the ability to have a team are all factors. Whether or not a city already has an NBA team will also be a factor given that 9 of the 12 current teams are in a city with an NBA team. But it certainly is not a deal-breaker as the Storm, Sun, and Aces have shown.
Possible WNBA Expansion Cities
1. Nashville
Nashville has a lot going for them in terms of candidacy for a WNBA team. For one, there are the massive amounts of success that the Tennessee Lady Vols women’s basketball program has had over in Knoxville. Over in Memphis, this year’s Grizzlies team has to have basketball fans in the state excited. Just last year in an assessment to gauge interest among residents, 80% of the almost 4,400 people surveyed said that they support a women’s professional sports team in the city depending on the sport. 53% of those responders said they would support eight a WNBA or an NWSL team, and 41.6% said they were extremely interested in a team. Plus there is already an arena, Bridgestone Arena, that seats 18,600 for basketball. The home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators has hosted lots of big basketball events, such as the men’s and women’s SEC basketball tournaments and 2014 Women’s Final Four, which was one of the most successful women’s Final Fours in history. Personally, I feel like this is the most likely city to get a new team.
2. Oakland/San Francisco
Upon first seeing Oakland you might think to yourself “Why?” That’s a valid question. The Warriors moved across the bay to San Francisco, the Raiders left for Las Vegas, and now the Athletics are thinking about leaving. Why would a professional sports league wanna add a team in a place that other leagues keep leaving? The reason is simple: the region has so much talent. The Stanford women’s basketball program is one of the strongest in the country and won their third national championship in 2021. Cal made a women’s Final Four in 2013. Bishop O’Dowd High School has become one of the best women’s basketball teams in the state. Oakland Arena, which housed the Warriors for 47 years, still sits there and is ready to be used. Also, there were plans to relocate the Sacramento Monarchs to Oakland, but those plans ultimately never came to fruition and the franchise folded.
The reasoning for a team to be put in San Francisco is a lot of the same as Oakland and may be seen as a more desirable location by some. The city also has the Chase Center, the Warriors’ 3-year-old home.
3. Philadelphia
Philadelphia has been wanting a WNBA team for a while now. The city had a team for a year and a half in the very short-lived American Basketball League (ABL). Dawn Staley led that team. The city really loves its basketball. The traditions of the “Big Five” college basketball programs of Villanova, Temple, Penn, Saint Joseph’s, and La Salle are legendary. The 76ers have a base of passionate fans. There are also reportedly a couple people potentially involved in an ownership group. The 76ers would probably have to be involved by at least letting a potential new team use Wells Fargo Arena, but only time will tell. Philly would definitely be a good place for a new team.
4. Toronto
The WNBA of course does not have a team in Canada. But that could soon change. Toronto is reportedly on the short list of candidates the league is considering for expansion. It was also recently reported that the city has been “given the checkmark” regarding its infrastructure. The group that owns the Raptors has apparently done their due diligence regarding a WNBA expansion team in Toronto. It would be a great fit. Basketball fans in Toronto and Canada, in general, would surely love more of the game there. We have all seen how great Raptors fans can be. There is even a Twitter account with over 2,200 followers dedicated to a WNBA expansion team in Toronto.
5. Portland
Portland was briefly home to the Portland Fire from 2000-02 as a sister franchise to the Trail Blazers. In their three seasons, they were never very good but did reach the .500 mark in 2002. They were the only WNBA franchise to never have made the playoffs. In 2002 when the league sold ownership of its franchises to their NBA counterparts or third parties. But Blazers owner Paul Allen did not want to suffer any more financial losses resulting in him not buying the team and the franchise folding.
Nowadays things are different. The WNBA as a whole is on the rise and Portland could definitely host another professional sports franchise.
6. Houston
Houston was home to the WNBA’s first dynasty. The Houston Comets won the first four WNBA championships with some greats of the game, including Hall of Famers Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes. The Comets are one of only two franchises to be undefeated in the WNBA Finals, with the Seattle Storm being the other one. The franchise won almost 62% of its regular-season games and almost 59% of its playoff games. The franchise folded in 2008 when new ownership could not be found. The loss of the franchise was viewed by many as a great loss for the league.
Today with the Rockets in full rebuild mode there would absolutely be excitement around a new basketball team in town, and ownership could certainly be found.
7. Charlotte
The Charlotte Sting were one of the eight original teams when the WNBA began play in 1997. Unfortunately, they are also one of four of the founding members that no longer exist. The Sting were became good very quickly and made it to a WNBA Finals. What did the team in was the business side of things. Poor management, minimal marketing, and bad ownership were to blame for the franchise’s downfall.
This time, however, could be different. Interest in the league and in women’s basketball as a whole continues to increase. A new team in Charlotte could be immensely successful immediately, especially with the interest that potentially luring Dawn Staley, a legendary coach and the Sting’s best player, could bring. Even if you couldn’t lure her to a new WNBA expansion team, she’s still coaching right down the road in Columbia, South Carolina, and bringing lots of basketball hype to the area.
8. Raleigh
This one is more so just wishful thinking on my part. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea at all. The triangle could definitely house another sports team. The Hoop State has loads upon loads of basketball talent and there are tons of basketball fans in the area. NC State is one of the better women’s basketball programs in the country right now, and UNC’s is good too. PNC Arena could easily host a WNBA expansion team.
