WNBA expansion: Which cities are in the running to earn the 16th team?

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 Jan. 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 we know 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.

Which cities submitted bids?

Through the last six months, prospective ownership groups from across the U.S. indicated public interest in the WNBA 16th franchise.

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 felt confident the league could expand to 16 teams by 2028.

More groups than those listed below may have submitted bids, but here are nine groups has confirmed are still involved in the process:

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 . 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.

An NBA player, like Durant, can buy up to 4 percent of a WNBA team, and NBA players in aggregate can own up to 8 percent of a WNBA team, according to new rules passed in the NBA’s 2023 collective bargaining agreement. But a player can’t be invested in a team if any of the other ownership stakes belong to a current NBA owner; Lasry sold his share of the Milwaukee Bucks two years ago.

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. WUNC reported that Erica Berman is leading the bid. A Hornets spokesperson confirmed to that the franchise is involved in the effort. “Hornets Sports & Entertainment believes strongly in the future growth of women’s basketball and the WNBA,” the team said in a statement. “The Charlotte Sting have a storied history and a passionate fanbase within our community. We are proud to back the Berman family and be a part of this larger group that is bidding to bring the WNBA back to Charlotte.”

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 . 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 , would serve as the team’s governor if it were to get a team, while her father, Stonebridge CEO Navin Dimond, is a 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. Detroit was a WNBA market from the league’s second season in 1998 until 2009.

“I actually think it’s really just a question of when the Shock comes back,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver told Pistons.com. “Over time, there’s going to be a lot of expansion in the WNBA. That’s a first-class group led by Tom, and Detroit needs to get a WNBA team again.”

Houston

Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Houston Rockets, submitted a bid for a WNBA franchise, a spokesperson for the Rockets confirmed to . 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 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.

Long said that if chosen the franchise would also be the only WNBA in the geographic region, as there is not a WNBA team within 400 miles of Kansas City. “I really believe this is not just a city play for the WNBA, but a regional play where you put an anchor right in the middle of the country that obviously we think is valuable,” Long said.

The Chiefs quarterback, who joined the Current’s ownership group in Jan. 2023, has repeatedly been outspoken about his desire to bring a WNBA franchise to Kansas City. This fall he said doing so was a “no-brainer” and cited the Current’s success as a replicable roadmap.

“I know if we were able to get a WNBA team to Kansas City, it would be packed every single night,” Mahomes said last week. “That’s just the type of atmosphere that we have. I’m hoping we can get that done and we can continue to push women’s sports forward.”

A Kansas City franchise would be the second WNBA team to share majority ownership with an NWSL club, joining the Portland WNBA group which also owns the Thorns.

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 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 a part of the bidding group.

What the WNBA said about the process

At her annual WNBA Finals news conference last October, Engelbert said the WNBA would like to have its 16th franchise begin play in 2027 but aims to launch it no later than 2028. She added that there are “10 to 12 cities that are very viable that we’re evaluating.” Key factors include a franchise’s arena, practice facility, player experience amenities, ownership commitment and city demographics and market research.

“It’s complex because you need an arena and a practice facility and player housing and all the things, you need committed long-term ownership groups,” Engelbert said. “The nice thing is we’re getting a lot of calls.”

What the WNBA previously looked for

Ownership ties to the NBA are one commonality between the three recent expansion groups. Joe Lacob, the majority owner of the NBA’s Warriors, is also the majority owner of the Valkyries. Larry Tanenbaum and Kilmer Sports Ventures own and operate the Tempo as well as the NBA’s Raptors.

Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal own the Portland WNBA franchise. Their family is an investor in the NBA’s Kings, and their father, Raj, is the Kings principal co-owner and serves as majority owner Vivek Ranadive’s alternate on the NBA’s board of governors. In looking toward its next franchise, the WNBA could choose an ownership group with NBA ties or look to an independent group. Among the nine groups listed above, only Nashville, Austin and Kansas City are not in NBA markets.

Facilities — both arenas and practice gyms — have been especially important in the WNBA’s decision-making process, and recent player movement in free agency reflects the importance players are putting on high-quality experiences. It is no surprise that prospective franchises have often made clear their primary and second facility plans.

Timeline for a new franchise

October 2023

The WNBA announced it awarded the Golden State Warriors ownership group the league’s 13th team. The Valkyries, as they would later be named, had a year and a half to prepare for their first game, which will tip off in May.

May 2024

The league announced its 14th franchise, later named the Toronto Tempo two years before they play their first game.

September 2024

The WNBA named Portland as the site of the league’s 15th franchise last September, giving the team around 20 months of preparation between its announcement and tip.

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If the 16th franchise were to begin play in 2027, it wouldn’t be surprising to see an announcement this fall in order to give that team a similar amount of preparation. If the league determines a 16th franchise should enter in 2028, then it’s fair to expect an announcement in 2026.

What’s the latest with Toronto, Portland and other cities?

With the Valkyries debuting this May, the league’s expansion process is turning to franchises in Toronto and Portland, both of which will begin play in 2026. In late January, the Toronto Tempo hired former Phoenix Mercury assistant general manager Monica Wright Rogers as their first GM, a league source confirmed to . Wright Rogers, who played in the WNBA for seven seasons after a decorated career at the University of Virginia, was also under consideration for the GM role in Washington this offseason before she was hired as Toronto’s top basketball decision-maker, league sources said.

Although Toronto already unveiled its name, began selling merchandise, and hired both its team president and GM, Portland has yet to make many public announcements. It plans to create a practice facility that will house both the city’s WNBA franchise as well as the NWSL’s Thorns (the two share ownership). According to Front Office Sports, it hopes to have a name by the spring.

Some groups that had reportedly shown interest have not placed formal bids. Former WNBA president Donna Orender was part of a group that explored the possibility of bringing a WNBA franchise to Jacksonville, but she told that she did not submit a bid. Instead, Orender recently helped launch a new professional women’s basketball league, the Upshot League, based in four cities, including Jacksonville. Though the Milwaukee Bucks ownership group reportedly had an interest in bringing a WNBA team to Wisconsin, it did not file a formal bid with the WNBA, a Bucks spokesman said.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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