The Golden State Warriors are close to bringing a WNBA franchise to the Bay Area, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the deal.
The deal is not completed, sources stressed, as several details still need to be worked out. But if finalized, the franchise will play its games at Chase Center and be headquartered in Oakland at the team’s practice facility, which the organization still owns and uses to maintain a presence in the community. An announcement could come as soon as early October.
Owning a WNBA franchise would be a full circle moment for Warriors owner Joe Lacob, who has long been a supporter of American women’s basketball. A pioneer even. He was integral in the establishment of the American Basketball League, which started play in the fall of 1996. Lacob was owner of the San Jose Lasers, led by Stanford star Jennifer Azzi and Sheri Sam.
But the WNBA started playing in June of 1997. By December of 1998, the ABL folded. That was the last time the Bay Area had a women’s professional team.
The WNBA has been talking about expansion for the last couple of years. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in May that she would like to add one or two teams by 2025. The Bay Area is a natural for expansion consideration because of the women’s basketball fervor in these parts.
It was presumed by many that as long as the Warriors wanted the franchise, they would be the league’s preferred ownership group if the league expanded to the Bay Area.
The Warriors have the capital, a new arena and the reputation. Using the Chase Center for the new WNBA team is a major appeal as it allows the ownership group year-round control of scheduling the arena. When a deal is reached, it must still be approved by the WNBA Board of Governors. A league spokesperson said “discussions with potential new ownership groups continue to head in the right direction.”
Lacob has long wanted a WNBA team. The question was whether the timing was right for the Warriors, who had just moved to San Francisco in 2019 and were still recovering from the pandemic when expansion talks began.
But it’s clear that now is a good time for the Warriors, who won an NBA championship in 2022 and is still one of the highest revenue-generating and respected sports franchises in the world. The Warriors released a statement Tuesday night in response to The Athletic’s reporting: “We have had productive conversations with the WNBA and look forward to the possibility of being a part of the league’s expansion plans. However, it would be premature to assume any potential agreement has been finalized.”