In recent months, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has consistently reiterated his strong desire to bring a WNBA expansion franchise to Houston.
Now, according to Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal (SBJ), that vision appears closer to becoming a reality.
Per SBJ, the WNBA is preparing to soon award Cleveland its 16th women’s professional basketball franchise, with an approximate bid worth a league record $250 million. But, according to Friend, “the WNBA has re-thought its original plan of adding just one team and could award one or two more franchises… to bring its league total to 18 clubs.”
Assuming that happen over the coming weeks or months, it appears Houston and Fertitta could be next in line. Friend writes:
As recent as two weeks ago, the WNBA applied to trademark the name Rockers, as well as the names of three other former franchises: the Houston Comets, the Detroit Shock and the Miami Sol — all clues to who could be in the running for the 17th and 18th teams, but not a complete giveaway.
Sources said Houston “is probably the most positioned’’ for the 17th team largely because the Rockets recently built a 75,000 square-foot practice facility, owner Tilman Fertitta is reportedly worth more than $10 billion, and they have an NBA infrastructure that is appealing to the league.
“The Comets are also an amazing brand, and it’s stunning they even left the league,” said a source, referencing the four-time champion Comets folding in 2008 due to $4-million annual losses.
From 1997 through 2008, Houston was home to the now-shuttered Comets. Led by iconic names such as Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson, the Comets won the league’s first four titles in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. But fan interest gradually waned as the team lost relevance in the years that followed, and that eventually led to the franchise being dissolved by the end of the 2000s.
In recent years, however, interest in women’s basketball has picked up throughout the United States — with young stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese helping drive a new wave of fandom. That resurgent fan interest has led to improved economics for the sport and the league, and in turn, that has prompted increased interest in WNBA expansion and the creation of new franchises.
In addition to having an NBA arena to play and host fans in (Toyota Center) and that state-of-the-art practice complex, the Rockets also jointly own their own regional sports television channel in Space City Home Network, which would be a natural fit to broadcast WNBA games during the NBA offseason. Thus, perhaps in contrast to some other bids, Houston has ready-made infrastructure across the board to immediately support a new team.
At a home game for the 2024-25 Rockets, Fertitta brought Cooper, Thompson, and former head coach Van Chancellor to his suite to discuss the current bid. Per Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle, all responded with unbridled enthusiasm and support.
“The Houston Comets helped put the WNBA on the map and the City of Houston deserves the chance to once again show how great of a place it is for women’s basketball,” Fertitta said in a statement, via Lerner and the Houston Chronicle. “We still proudly display the Comets championship banners and retired jerseys at Toyota Center. It’s been far too long; it’s time to bring the WNBA back to Houston.”
According to SBJ, 13 cities have bid for the next WNBA expansion teams: St. Louis, Kansas City, Austin, Jacksonville, Nashville, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Denver, Charlotte, and Milwaukee. It appears Cleveland has effectively secured its slot, leaving the other 12 markets for one or two near-term announcements.
If awarded, Houston’s WNBA expansion franchise would likely begin play in the 2029 or 2030 season, SBJ reports.
More: Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta: ‘It’s time to bring the WNBA back to Houston’
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Report: Houston, Tilman Fertitta in strong position for WNBA expansion
