The WNBA is about to get a whole lot bigger. Like, significantly bigger.
The league just announced they’re adding three more teams to bring the total to 18, which honestly is a number I never thought we’d hit in my lifetime.
Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia are the lucky cities getting new franchises, and the timeline is spread out over the next few years. Cleveland starts in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philly wraps it up in 2030. It’s a slow rollout, sure, but with the way the league’s been growing, it’s probably the right move.
So who’s betting big on the future of women’s basketball? First up: Dan Gilbert who will be taking on Cleveland through his Rock Entertainment Group. As the current owner of the Cavaliers, he’s already had a pretty successful run with another basketball franchise. Plus Cleveland had a WNBA team before with the Rockers from 1997 to 2003.
Detroit’s bid is being led by Tom Gores and his wife Holly, plus what the league calls “some of the most accomplished women and men in global sports, business, entertainment, media, and finance.” Similarly, Gores owns the Pistons so he knows Detroit sports. And Detroit definitely knows women’s basketball — the Shock were actually really good back in the day. They snagged three championships and drew huge crowds. (Had to double-check this) but they set the single-game attendance record—22,076 fans—for Game 3 of the 2003 Finals.
And Philly? They’ve got Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment leading the charge, which already has a bunch of sports properties.
“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.”
Engelbert also gave props to the new owners—calling them out by name and thanking them for betting big on women’s sports saying they’re “deeply grateful for our new owners and ownership groups – Dan Gilbert in Cleveland, Tom Gores in Detroit, and Josh Harris, David Blitzer, David Adelman, and Brian Roberts in Philadelphia – for their belief in the WNBA’s future and their commitment to building thriving teams that will energize and inspire their communities.”
As far as selections went, the league looked at market viability, ownership commitment, fan and corporate support potential, facilities, and community investment in advancing women’s sports. All the business stuff that matters when you’re trying to make sure these teams actually succeed.
These additions come on the heels of Golden State’s Valkyries tipping off this past May, plus the previously announced expansions to Toronto and Portland set for 2026.
Women’s basketball has been getting more attention lately, viewership is up, and there seems to be more corporate interest. Having established sports owners like Gilbert and Gores jump in shows that people with serious money think this is a good investment.
The staggered timeline for these new teams also makes strategic sense, allowing the league to manage growth while ensuring each franchise has the resources and support needed to succeed from day one. By the time Philadelphia takes the court in 2030, the WNBA will have evolved into something even the league’s founders probably couldn’t have imagined back in ’97 and honestly, neither could we.