Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) commissioner Cathy Engelbert officially announced that an expansion franchise will be coming to the Bay Area for the 2025 season, owned and operated by seven-time NBA champions Golden State Warriors.
This will be the WNBA's first expansion since the Atlanta Dream joined the league in 2008. The franchise will play their home games at the Warriors' home ground, Chase Center in San Francisco.
"We are thrilled about expanding to the Bay Area and bringing the WNBA to a region with passionate basketball fans and a strong history of supporting women's basketball," Engelbert said.
In addition, the team will be headquartered in the Warriors' former practice facility and front office in Oakland, where the NBA franchise played from 1971 to 2019.
The team is expected to adopt the name "Golden State," mirroring their NBA counterparts, per Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN. However, the official team name has not been revealed yet.
The Warriors will be the sixth NBA franchise to have a WNBA team, joining the ranks of the Indiana Pacers (Indiana Fever), Minnesota Timberwolves (Minnesota Lynx), Brooklyn Nets (New York Liberty), Phoenix Suns (Phoenix Mercury), and Washington Wizards (Washington Mystics).
Read more: Jrue Holiday's Wife Lauren Talks About Painful Consequences of Sudden Trade Out of Milwaukee
Another city expected to receive franchise
The WNBA plans to award another city an expansion franchise later this year, with Portland emerging as a likely candidate for this opportunity.
The franchise will also begin to play in the 2025 season, bringing the total number of teams in the league to 14 by that time.
Related Article: Paul George Opens Up on Potentially Retiring as a Member of the Los Angeles Clippers
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
