Marquette, MI – July 2 – The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has announced plans to expand to 18 teams by 2030. Portland, which announced in May 2024, they would join the league, still needs a name. The Toronto Tempo, revealed in September 2024, is set to join the WNBA in 2026.
On Monday, it was announced that the WNBA will add three additional teams: Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Detroit. Cleveland will play in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. They all need to come up with team names, but two have previously been part of a franchise and could revert to their old name.
The Cleveland Rockers were one of the eight original teams that played in the inaugural season in 1997, but they faced financial difficulties, which ultimately led to their disbandment. Like Cleveland, Detroit also previously had a WNBA team, the Detroit Shock, which played from 1998 to 2009 before relocating to Tulsa, where they won three championships. Philadelphia is excited to welcome its first-ever WNBA team, which will play alongside the 76ers.
In recent seasons, the WNBA has experienced substantial growth in its fan base, largely thanks to the influence of players like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. The 2024 WNBA season became the most-watched regular season to date, averaging 1.2 million viewers across 24 broadcast games. This marks an impressive increase of 170% compared to the 2023 season.
