by: Alana Brown-Davis
The WNBA continues to build towards a brighter future with three new teams announced this week. With this new expansion, the league will reach a historic 18 teams. These new teams will be in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Cleveland and Detroit had previous teams that existed in the early days of the WNBA. The Cleveland Rockers were one of the original eight teams of the league, playing from 1997 to 2003. The Detroit Shock were created in 1998 and moved to Tulsa in 2009, ultimately becoming the Dallas Wings. Under this new expansion, Philadelphia will have its first WNBA team.
“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball. I am deeply grateful for our new owners and ownership groups – Dan Gilbert in Cleveland, Tom Gores in Detroit, and Josh Harris, David Blitzer, David Adelman, and Brian Roberts in Philadelphia – for their belief in the WNBA’s future and their commitment to building thriving teams that will energize and inspire their communities. We are excited for what these cities will bring to the league – and are confident that these new teams will reshape the landscape of women’s basketball.”
WNBA Is In High Demand With Expansions
This announcement continues a string of gradual expansion deals that the league has made. This year, the Golden State Valkyries debuted in May. Next year, teams in Toronto and Portland, Oregon will be established. According to the WNBA website, these teams were decided on using strategic planning and analyzing the market viability.
Each of the three teams have NBA ownership groups, paying a $250 million expansion fee. Multiple cities were vying for expansion deals with a majority of them being in the southern portion of the U.S. Cities like Houston and Miami that once had WNBA teams and others like Austin, Nashville, Kansas City and Denver placed bids.
After a phenomenal year with record setting viewership and sales, the WNBAs ascension is heightened by these new deals. As the league heads towards its 30th year anniversary, it will certainly continue to push the envelope.