Boston group hoping to land a WNBA franchise. The league has said it will add a 16th team in 2028
Boston group hoping to land a WNBA franchise. The league has said it will add a 16th team in 2028
Former NBA player Michael Carter-Williams is hoping to get a WNBA franchise in Boston whether it’s through expansion or being a destination for a current team that wants to move.
He’s part of The Boston Women’s Basketball Partners group that is spearheading the initiative. The group hasn’t submitted a bid to the WNBA although they’ve talked with the company that the league hired to handle the expansion bids process.
“The main objective is to get a team in Boston,” Carter-Williams said in a phone interview Thursday. “It doesn’t matter if it’s an expansion team or a team that wants to sell and move to Boston.”
Carter-Williams said his group has all their “ducks in a row” when it comes to where it would play and practice facility space. Now, he said, they just need a franchise.
Boston hosted a sold out WNBA game last year when the Connecticut Sun played a contest at the TD Garden — home of the Boston Celtics. Another regular-season game will be played at TD Garden this year when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever take on the Sun.
Carter-Williams said his group would “absolutely” be interested if the Sun were up for sale. But that’s a big if since it seems there has been no discussion about the Mohegan Tribe selling the team.
“It’s something we would consider, but there’s not too much noise going on right now,” Carter-Williams said. “We want to be the most prepared for any option.”
The deadline to submit an expansion bid was Jan. 30, so acquiring a current team would be the most direct path for his group have a WNBA franchise in Boston.
The WNBA has already announced three expansion teams that will start play over the next two years with Golden State beginning this season and Toronto and Portland starting in 2026. The league has said it would add a 16th team to begin play in 2028.
Several cities already have submitted bids, including Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Houston and Nashville and there is a chance the WNBA could go beyond 16 teams sooner rather than later. Here’s a look at some of the interested cities:
Cleveland expansion bid
The Ohio city’s ownership group is led by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. A report from the Sports Business Journal said it was “likely” for Cleveland to get the next expansion team, although the deal isn’t done yet.
“While we are very optimistic about the competitive WNBA bid that we have submitted, we have not received any confirmation from the league about their finalists,” a spokesman for the Cleveland group said.
The WNBA Board of Governors have not taken any formal vote yet on a 16th team, said a person familiar with the process. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Nashville expansion bid
The Nashville contingent is led by the chairman of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, Bill Haslam, and his wife, Crissy. The couple has lined up a group of investors including Candace Parker, Peyton Manning and entertainers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
Unlike other franchises, the Nashville group already has a name for its franchise — the Tennessee Summitt — in honor of the late Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt.
Charlotte, Detroit and Houston expansion bids
Three cities that previously had WNBA franchises are looking to get back into the women’s game.
Bids by groups in Charlotte, Detroit and Houston are led by the NBA owners in those cities. The Detroit bid is led by Pistons owner Tom Gores and includes Sheila Ford Hamp and her husband, the principal owners of the Detroit Lions; the chief executive officer and chair of General Motors Company; Hall of Famer and former NBA rookie of the Year Grant Hill.
Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Houston Rockets, submitted a bid for a WNBA franchise with the team potentially playing at the Toyota Center. The Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles before the franchise disbanded in 2008.
The Charlotte Hornets are supporting an effort to bring the Sting back.
Kansas City, Austin and St. Louis expansion bids
Celebrity athletes are lending their star power to WNBA bids in several cities, including Patrick Mahomes getting involved in Kansas City’s expansion hopes; Jayson Tatum with St. Louis and Kevin Durant in Austin, Texas.
“Obviously, we want to get basketball in Kansas City in general,” Mahomes said in October. The Chiefs quarterback also has ownership stakes in the Royals and MLS club Sporting Kansas City. “You talk about the University of Kansas basketball, the Chiefs, whatever it is, the city is going to come out to the stadium. It’s cool we were able to get the women’s soccer team here and you see the support they have.”
Durant spoke Wednesday in Austin about WNBA expansion as his Phoenix Suns were set to play a game against San Antonio at the University of Texas, where he played in college.
“It’s a basketball city,” Durant said. “We’ve always had major, major support here for women’s basketball. We have one of the greatest coaches and greatest players to come through here. Our women’s coach now is one of the greatest, we got a great young talent in (Madison Booker) out here. All down the line, I just think this city is primed for basketball, especially women’s basketball at the highest level.”
Philadelphia expansion bid
The Philadelphia 76ers put in a bid and with a new sports complex on the way there which would house the NBA team as well as the Flyers. Having another city on the east coast would potentially make travel easy and could build rivalries with franchises in New York, Washington and Connecticut.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
