While the NBA remains cautious on the question of its expansion, the WNBA will welcome three new franchises by 2026, with teams created in San Francisco, Toronto and Portland. In two years, there will be 15 franchises, and the objective is to reach 16, and there is no shortage of applications.
“The good news is that we have strong demand from many cities”declared Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA, before the Finals. “I would say about ten, maybe more at this point…I think the more people look at the WNBA and see what we're developing here, these players and the product on the court, the more people are interested in the presence of the WNBA in their city. »
NBA authorizes player investments in WNBA
Among these ten cities, there is St. Louis, and behind the project, we find Jayson Tatum ! Originally from this city, like Bradley Beal, the Celtics winger is ready to devote several million dollars to the creation of a franchise. The price of entry is $200 million, and according to SporticoTatum unofficially agreed to invest in the team if it comes to fruition and to contribute behind the scenes to the presentation of the project and the search for investors.
Since the new collective bargaining agreement took effect, the NBA allows players to own up to 4% of a WNBA franchise. Which means Tatum can invest up to eight million in the project. For the moment, the project has not reached Cathy Engelbert's desk but it would be led by billionaires Richard Chaifetz and David Hoffman. “St. Louis is a premier sports market and we believe the arrival of a WNBA franchise in the region will be a defining moment in the city's ongoing recovery.”said Don Soffer, the project spokesperson.
