As free agency kicked off last month and star players began shuffling around the WNBA, another important date loomed on the league’s calendar. Bids for the 16th WNBA franchise were due on January 30, according to a league source briefed on the matter, resulting in a flurry of interest. More than 10 potential ownership groups submitted formal bids, according to people involved in the process.
As the WNBA determines where it should award its next expansion team, here are the cities and groups that have made formal bids for team No. 16 and what the timeline is likely to look like for when a new franchise will be awarded.
The new team will join recent expansion teams in Golden State (launching this season) and Portland and Toronto (2026). Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said she feels confident the league can expand to 16 teams by 2028.
The following are the cities that have made formal bids for the 16th WNBA franchise:
Austin: A group trying to bring a team to the city has filed a formal bid with the WNBA, three sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic. Former Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry is the lead investor in the group trying to bring another team to Texas, through his investment firm, Avenue Capital, while perennial NBA All-Star Kevin Durant and former University of Texas star and Houston Comets player Fran Harris are both involved with the bid, according to a person briefed on the bid. The team would likely play at the Moody Center, where the Longhorns compete. The group plans to build a practice facility for the prospective team if it wins the bid.
Charlotte: A group that involves the Charlotte Hornets ownership group is trying to bring a team back to the city, which was once the home of the Charlotte Sting.
Cleveland: Dan Gilbert, the majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, formally put in a bid with the WNBA to bring an expansion franchise to the city, a spokesperson for Rock Entertainment Group, the company that oversees Gilbert’s sports properties, confirmed to The Athletic. Cleveland had been a WNBA market from the league’s debut in 1997 to 2003, when the Cleveland Rockers folded. The prospective Cleveland team would play at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where the Cavaliers play. The bid also includes a plan to get the WNBA team its own practice facility.
Denver: A group led by the Dimond family submitted a formal bid with the WNBA to bring an expansion team to Colorado. Ashley Dimond, who confirmed the bid to The Athletic, would serve as the team’s governor if it were to get a team, while her father, Stonebridge CEO Navin Dimond, is part of the bid as well. Ibotta CEO Bryan Leach and his family are also part of the investor group. They intend for the prospective Denver team to play in a purpose-built arena if the WNBA chooses their bid.
Detroit: Tom Gores, the owner of the Detroit Pistons, announced that a group including NBA Hall of Famers Grant Hill and Chris Webber as well as Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp and quarterback Jared Goff submitted a bid to bring the WNBA back to Detroit. The new WNBA team would play at Little Caesars Arena, the home of the Pistons, but it would construct a dedicated WNBA practice facility.
Houston: Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Houston Rockets, submitted a bid for a WNBA franchise, a spokesperson for the Rockets confirmed to The Athletic. The franchise would play at Toyota Center. The Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles but disbanded after the 2008 season.
Kansas City: A group led by the NWSL’s Kansas City Current co-owners Angie Long, Chris Long, Brittany Mahomes, and Patrick Mahomes submitted a formal bid to bring an expansion team to Kansas City. Current co-owner Chris Long told The Athletic that the group has already signed an agreement with T-Mobile Center to be the downtown stadium’s anchor tenant and that the Kansas City WNBA franchise would build a 60,000-square-foot, privately-financed practice facility on land the group already owns in the same area as the Current’s facility.
Nashville: Nashville Predators owner Bill Haslam and his wife, Crissy, announced they had submitted a bid for a franchise. The team would be called the Tennessee Summitt, a nod to former Tennessee Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt. Candace Parker, Peyton Manning, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw would also be part of the ownership group.
Philadelphia: The ownership group behind the Philadelphia 76ers, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, is looking to bring a franchise to the city, a HBSE spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic. The 76ers had made their interest known earlier last month when owner Josh Harris, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, and Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker announced a plan to build a new stadium in the city. Comcast bought a minority stake in HBSE — which owns the Sixers, New Jersey Devils, and other sports properties — and will be part of the bidding group.
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