Cleveland is expected to be awarded a WNBA expansion franchise that would join the league for the 2028 season, Sports Business Journal reports.
The franchise is expected to play at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, also the home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, and has reportedly already chosen a name, taking the Cleveland Rockers moniker that the city’s previous WNBA team had from 1997 to 2003. With a bid worth a league record $250 million, Cleveland has a 90% chance of landing an expansion team, according to SBJ’s Tom Friend.
However, the league’s latest wave of expansion may not end with Cleveland. The WNBA is considering adding another one or two teams with the franchise expected to go to Cleveland. That would increase the league to 18 teams. The cities viewed as the favorites to be awarded those teams are Philadelphia, Houston, Nashville, Detroit and Miami.
Three expansion teams are set to join the WNBA during the next two years, beginning with the Golden State Valkyries during the upcoming season. Teams in Toronto and Portland will join the league for the 2026 campaign.
Cleveland’s reported $250 million bid is twice what Toronto and Portland paid for their expansion fees.
Houston is considered a strong candidate for one of the teams because the Houston Rockets have a strong organization under team owner Tilman Fertitta that recently constructed a 75,000 square-foot practice facility. And the Comets have a strong WNBA history, winning four consecutive league championships from 1997 to 2000.
Philadelphia is also viewed favorably because of the partnerships Philadelphia 76ers team owner Josh Harris has established with Comcast for a new arena that would be home to the Sixers and NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers.
Other cities that have bid for WNBA expansion teams include Denver, St. Louis (with Celtics star Jayson Tatum as an investor), Austin (including Kevin Durant in its group), Kansas City (with Patrick Mahomes among the investors), Jacksonville, Charlotte and Milwaukee. Former WNBA star Candace Parker is part of the Nashville investors group, as well
The WNBA recently applied for trademarks to three other former franchise names — Houston Comets, Detroit Shock and Miami Sol — which might indicate preferences, but could also nod to previously established brands.
