WNBA reached the heights as it swept away the title of 2024’s fastest growing brands. And it is only growing further! With an aim of 16 teams in the league, Cathy Engelbert is all-set to keep the ball of attention moving. After San Francisco, Portland, and Toronto there may be more prospects opening for WNBA.

In a surprising turn of events, Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores has put in his own bid for the WNBA expansion! The local billionaire aims to bring in another team to Detroit and he knows he will end up profiting from the WNBA greatly.

But, the next team is going to be an expensive one! Bids for the expansion project have the potential to reach between $200 to $250 million according to sources. Gores has thrown his hat in the ring and looks willing to tough out the storm so that he can have his team. The Detroit Pistons owner is currently going through a rebuild with his NBA team as well, adding as much talent as he can.

While it is a huge news for a market that enjoys basketball, not everyone agrees. Many followers believe cities like Nashville and New Jersey are a lot more deserving of a team. They are up and coming markets, and there would be little repetition and potentially a drop in their consumers.

WNBA legend Candace Parker and her group had a similar line of thinking too, it seems, as they put in their own bid recently and got a franchise set up in Tennessee.

Cathy Engelbert’s confident vision for the WNBA

The growing interest in the W is hard to ignore. Exciting narratives like Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese took the basketball world by storm this past year, and Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA commissioner, has decided to let her league linger no longer. Her vision for the women’s pro league has always been larger than life.

Engelbert plans to have 16 teams by 2028, 15 of which have already been decided. The current expansion project has brought teams to Golden State, Toronto, and Portland. With how the W is growing, the sixteenth team has generated a lot of interest!

NFL star Patrick Mahomes has expressed strong interest in bringing a WNBA team to Kansas City. Reportedly, The Current’s ownership group has met with the WNBA to try and make that dream into a reality. Mahomes’ vision is backed by arguably the most popular WNBA star, Caitlin Clark.

On the New Heights podcast, Clark discussed Kansas City as a possible WNBA expansion team. “Patrick’s trying to bring one [to Kansas City], and they’ve got a good basketball arena there. The Sprint Center, or T-Mobile or whatever. It’s a great spot. And the Power and Light district down there. Women’s basketball could be great there, so I’d support it.”

If Caitlin Clark and Mahomes haul around their influence, there is no doubt that KC might see themselves become a part of the WNBA.

The newest bid came on Thursday from the chairman of NHL’s Nashville Predators. Bill Haslam and his wife Cristy, alongside Candace Parker and Peyton Manning, have officially submitted a bid for a new WNBA team. Their proposal is for the ‘Tennessee Summitt,’ to join the W, the name in honor of former Lady Vols coach Pat Summit.

Tom Gores might be an experienced player in this field, however, he does have serious challengers for the team. Regardless of who ends up winning the sixteenth team, the WNBA and its fans will win regardless!