{"id":545745,"date":"2026-01-27T01:38:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T01:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/545745\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T01:38:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T01:38:32","slug":"philly-finally-getting-a-wnba-franchise-in-2030","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/545745\/","title":{"rendered":"Philly finally getting a WNBA franchise in 2030"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WNBA is bringing an expansion team to Philadelphia in 2030.<\/p>\n

The league revealed the news on Monday, announcing Cleveland and Detroit as two other cities getting teams, in 2028 and 2029, respectively. All three bids are attached to NBA franchises, which the WNBA had been vocal about wanting to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhiladelphia is a city with unmatched passion, rich basketball tradition, and an unwavering love for its teams,\u201d said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, a Collingswood, N.J. native. \u201cIt\u2019s only fitting that this iconic sports town is finally home to a WNBA franchise. From neighborhood courts to historic college arenas, basketball runs deep in Philly \u2014 and we\u2019re proud to bring the W to a city that\u2019s ready to embrace it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The team, pending approval from the WNBA and the NBA Board of Governors, will be co-owned by Sixers owners Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), with Comcast holding a minority stake. The pair\u2019s efforts to bid for a WNBA franchise were revealed in their agreement to build a new arena in South Philly<\/a> back in January \u2014 a surprising final twist in HBSE\u2019s initial plans to build an arena in Center City\u2019s Market East<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Sixers confirmed to Billy Penn that the WNBA team would play in the new South Philly arena, when it\u2019s ready in 2031. Unless that timeline is moved up, we assume the team will join the Sixers for the final year at the Xfinity Mobile Arena (aka the Wells Fargo Center<\/a>, which will be renamed on Sept. 2).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only right that this city finally gets the WNBA franchise it deserves, and we\u2019re humbled to help usher in a new era of Philadelphia basketball,\u201d said HBSE co-owner Josh Harris, who also owns the NFL\u2019s Washington Commanders.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia will be the league\u2019s 18th team. This season, the Golden State Valkyries were the latest expansion franchise to join the league. The Toronto Tempo and a yet-to-be-named Portland team will be joining in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"Josh Harris, left, managing partner of the Philadelphia 76ers, Arn Tellem, Detroit Pistons vice chairman, Nic Barlage, representing the Cleveland Cavaliers, listen as WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks during a news conference, Monday, June 30, 2025, in New York, announcing WNBA basketball expansion teams in Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland. (AP Photo\/Doug Feinberg)<\/p>\n

Detroit and Clevland previously had WNBA teams, with the Cleveland Rockers folding after the 2003 season, and the Detroit Shock relocating to Tulsa, then eventually becoming today\u2019s Dallas Wings. Philly\u2019s last women\u2019s professional basketball team, the Philadelphia Rage, played in the now-defunct American Basketball League from 1997 to 1998.\u00a0 The team included Philly legend and current University of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis expansion marks far more than an increase in teams. It\u2019s a transformational investment in the future of women\u2019s sports,\u201d Engelbert said. \u201cWith more teams, more roster spots, and more scale and visibility, the WNBA is growing on a wave of momentum that is only growing stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philly\u2019s bid, spearheaded by comedian Wanda Sykes and her wife Alex Niedbalski-Sykes, originated in 2021<\/a>. Beyond Staley, other big names mentioned as potentially connected to the bid include Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, tennis legend Billie Jean King, and the Roots drummer Questlove.<\/p>\n

Esther Rosen, a grassroots advocate for a Philly WNBA franchise who runs the popular \u201dWNBA Philly\u201d social media accounts<\/a> (not to be confused with the new PhilaWNBA accounts<\/a> that the team launched today) has already post several reactions to the news on her various accounts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Philly local Wayne DePrince said he was happy when he heard the news.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a daughter. It\u2019s good to see Philly getting involved in that,\u201d he said. He added that he would definitely check out games with her.<\/p>\n

When Nikki Cohen, who doesn\u2019t follow professional sports too closely, was told the news this morning, she was surprised that Philly didn\u2019t already have a women\u2019s professional basketball team, and would see a team immediately thriving in the market.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unlimited \u2014 right \u2014 our love for sports,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a zero-sum game. We\u2019re going to bring it all in more to the WNBA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch Party PHL<\/a>, another grassroots advocacy group trying to bring more women\u2019s professional teams to Philly, also revelled in today\u2019s update.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch Party PHL\u2019s goal since its inception was to prove to the WNBA (and NWSL) that Philadelphia is deserving and excited about the opportunity to join one of the fastest-growing leagues in women\u2019s sports,\u201d the group said. \u201cWe got exactly what we fought for and now the eyes of the national sports environment are on our city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The group, founded by firefighter Jen Leary, has been raising funds to set up a permanent space for the city\u2019s first-ever women\u2019s sports bar<\/a>. The group\u2019s latest updates revealed they are approaching $50,000 funding<\/a> for their own gathering space.<\/p>\n

The WNBA team will join the Philadelphia Surge, a women and gender-expansive pro ultimate frisbee team<\/a> that just finished its third season in the Premier Ultimate League, on the short list of Philly\u2019s women\u2019s professional sports teams.<\/p>\n

Watch Party posted a video of Leary watching the announcement<\/a>, which she said she had an inkling was going to happen when she saw the WNBA app\u2019s alert about the press conference on her phone this morning. It still felt surreal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see Philadelphia on the screen behind Kathy and you hear them actually say those words. I don\u2019t know, it was so exciting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For Leary, though today was a celebration, the work isn\u2019t over to bring more women\u2019s professional teams to the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that we have this team, now the real work begins,\u201d Leary said. \u201cWe have to continue to bring people out to our watch parties to show the league that they didn\u2019t make a mistake, and to show other leagues that we can sustain this.\u201d<\/p>\n

One name that has been floated for the franchise? The Philadelphia Sisters.<\/p>\n

Another option being floated is the Liberty Belles. Leary isn\u2019t a fan of that one, firstly because it\u2019s too close to another team in the league: the New York Liberty. Secondly, she said the name feels too feminine and pulls focus away from the athletes who will be playing on the team<\/p>\n

Nikki Cohen and her partner Robyn thought Liberty Belle could work for the name of the team\u2019s mascot, though, which needs to match the energy of what is sure to be one of\u00a0 its biggest rivals, New York\u2019s Ellie the Elephant.<\/p>\n

What could Liberty Belle be? DePrince had an idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cA soft pretzel,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s got to be a Philly-style soft pretzel. You know, but cute.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as who could be on or coaching Philly\u2019s WNBA team, Stawley ruled herself out of a potential coaching role when asked while a guest on the podcast \u201cNot Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather be an owner \u2026 when I\u2019m an owner, I can probably touch more people,\u201d the three-time NCAA champion coach said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably too early to say who could be drafted or moved into a team in 2030, but Harris has already set down a marker of what the franchise\u2019s ambitions will likely be then.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me and the community, bringing the WNBA to Philly wasn\u2019t just a nice-to-have. It was an obligation,\u201d he said Monday. \u201cPhilly deserves the best basketball team, that attracts the best players in the world and competes at the highest level. We have an opportunity to build something special: A team that girls across the region can root for and be inspired by.\u201d<\/p>\n

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