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Philadelphia Will Get a WNBA Team by 2030
By Kyle Pagan
Published:
Philadelphia will finally get a WNBA team via Doug Feinberg at the AP:
The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next five years, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all set to join the league by 2030.
Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia the season after, assuming they get approval from the NBA and WNBA Board of Governors. Toronto and Portland will enter the league next year.
The only question is why take five years? Why does Cleveland and Detroit get a WNBA team before Philadelphia? Philadelphia is a way better basketball hub than those two cities. By that time Caitlin Clark will be in her seventh season. She’ll have multiple MVPs and titles, the millionth article about race relations in the WNBA will be published, and the Round Mound of Rebound Angel Reese will have the all-time record by then.
I can’t wait for the WNBA. Nothing a Philadelphian likes supporting more than a fringe team outside of the core four for four sports. The Philadelphia Union have had great fans since their inception. The two time Arena Bowl champion Philadelphia Soul had the Wachovia and Wells Fargo Center rocking when they were good. When I was growing up every second grade boy either went to a Phantoms or KIXX game for their birthday party. We’ll pack the place, especially if the Sixers stink. There’s nothing that Philly fans like more right now than spiting the Sixers.
Philadelphia Belles is a no brainer name. Start printing the jerseys:
Each team shelled out a $250 million expansion fee and will invest in practice facilities and other amenities:
“All three new teams announced Monday have NBA ownership groups. Each paid a $250 million expansion fee, which is about five times as much as Golden State dished out for a team a few years ago. All three teams will also be investing more money through building practice facilities and other such amenities.”
There was also a little bit of breaking news regarding the Sixers and Flyers wanting to open their new arena by 2030:
“The Detroit and Cleveland teams will play at the NBA arenas that currently exist, while Philadelphia is planning on a new building that will be completed hopefully by 2030.
We tell the city it’s going to open in 2031. We’re hoping for 2030,” said Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Managing Partner and co-founder Josh Harris, who owns the 76ers. “So we’re trying to underpromise and overdeliver. But, right now it’s 2031, so that we have a year gap, you know. We’ve got the Xfinity center, the Wells Fargo, they’ll play there.”
Josh Harris doesn’t want to be paying for two stadiums at the same time. BUILD! BUILD! BUILD!
Kyle writes blog posts and does Man on the Street-style videos all around Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University (a basketball school) in 2015. contact: k.pagan@sportradar.com