WNBA announces expansion team for the Bay Area
Oct 5, 2023, 10:03 AM | Updated: 10:39 am
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 20: A general view of the exterior of the Chase Center before the Golden State Warriors played against the Sacramento Kings in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Chase Center on April 20, 2023 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The WNBA announced on Thursday plans for an expansion team in the Bay Area.
Joe Lacob and the Golden State Warriors were awarded the team, which will begin playing in 2025.
The team, which has not yet been named, will play out of the Chase Center and use Golden State’s Oakland Facility as their team headquarters. Lacob and Co-Executive Chairman for the Golden State Warriors Peter Guber are listed as the owners and operators of the new franchise.
“We are thrilled about expanding to the Bay Area and bringing the WNBA to a region with passionate basketball fans and a strong history of supporting women’s basketball,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a press release. “Joe Lacob, Peter Guber and their leadership team know how to build and operate a world-class organization, as witnessed by the immense success the Warriors’ franchise has enjoyed from both a business and basketball perspective over the last decade. Their interest in joining the WNBA family is yet another sign of the league’s growth potential.”
At a press conference announcing the move, Engelbert said the league’s goal is to add one more expansion team before the 2025 season.
Coming in 2025 to the Bay Area@WNBA BASKETBALL. pic.twitter.com/clfahB6WSR
— WNBA Golden State (@wnbagoldenstate) October 5, 2023
The Warriors become the sixth NBA franchise to have a WNBA partner team. The others include: Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx, Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, and Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics.
Currently, the WNBA consists of 12 teams. The league has not had an expansion team since 2008 when the Atlanta Dream was added. In 2018, the San Antonio Stars relocated to Las Vegas and changed their name to Aces. At its height, the league had 16 teams, one of which being the Sacramento Monarchs.
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