The WNBA emblem on the ball is seen as it’s tipped in the course of the sport between the Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces final yr in Seattle, Wash. The WNBA has introduced it is increasing to a file 18 groups — including three new franchises: Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
Steph Chambers/Getty Pictures
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Steph Chambers/Getty Pictures
The WNBA juggernaut just isn’t slowing down.
The ladies’s basketball league introduced Monday it is including three new groups for a file 18 franchises: Cleveland will start play in 2028, Detroit joins in 2029 and Philadelphia will tip off in 2030. The WNBA has 15 current squads — together with the Golden State Valkyries, which began this yr and two extra enlargement groups beforehand added for subsequent season: Toronto, Canada and Portland, Oregon.
The WNBA introduced in a information launch that it chosen this trio primarily based on an “evaluation of market viability, dedicated long-term possession teams, potential for vital native fan, company, media, and metropolis and state help, enviornment and follow amenities, and group dedication to advancing the game, amongst different elements.”
The enlargement comes within the league’s twenty ninth yr, following its best-ever season throughout which it set information for viewership, attendance and merchandise gross sales. The WNBA was buoyed by phenom Caitlin Clark, who has energized the league and is a part of a brand new crop of stars together with Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen and Aneesah Morrow.
“The demand for ladies’s basketball has by no means been greater, and we’re thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA household,” stated WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “This historic enlargement is a strong reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of expertise throughout the sport, and the surging demand for funding in ladies’s skilled basketball.
In 2002, the league peaked with 16 groups — together with franchises in each Detroit and Cleveland. Detroit’s earlier group, the Shock, was fairly profitable. It received three WNBA titles (in 2003, 2006 and 2008) earlier than it moved to Tulsa, Okla.
The enlargement and progress of the WNBA come because the league faces labor tensions. The gamers’ union opted out of the present collective bargaining settlement to attempt to safe greater salaries in 2024.
The addition of those three new groups is topic to WNBA and the NBA Boards of Governors approval.
