Just days before the WNAB Finals between A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces and Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty begins, the league is set to make a long overdue announcement regarding expansion.
The WNBA once had as many 16 teams in it, from 2000 to 2002, but has fielded just 12 teams since 2010. Players and fans alike have long been advocating for expansion, to grow the game and to give more players the opportunity to thrive in the top women’s basketball league.
On Wednesday, USA Today‘s Lindsay Schnell and Jeff Zillgitt reported the San Francisco Bay Area will be awarded the new franchise. The league’s Twitter account has been sending out cryptic messages all week teasing the topic, even deploying that Kevin James meme on Tuesday.
Heard you https://t.co/ASyu4SwMxh
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 3, 2023
10.5 pic.twitter.com/J4qlLOrg6E
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 4, 2023
Marcus Thompson of The Athletic reported last week that the Golden State Warriors and owner Joe Lacob were “close” to bringing a franchise to the Bay Area. The team, according to Thompson, would practice and be headquartered in Oakland and then play its games at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
While expansion should be applauded and celebrated, the WNBA still has a lot of issues – like travel and pay for players – that it must seriously improve. Dallas Wings’ star guard Arike Ogunbowale expressed that when she talked with For The Win in July, specifically mentioning charter flights.
But the game of women’s basketball is experiencing a tremendous era of growth right now. The women’s NCAA tournament shattered viewership records just a few months ago. The WNBA can’t afford to not capitalize in this moment.