What to know about WNBA expansion to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia

The WNBA announced Monday it volition expand to 18 teams by 2030, with franchises successful Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia joining antecedently announced teams successful Portland and Toronto, which statesman play adjacent year. The Golden State Valkyries are presently successful their archetypal season.

The past fewer years person seen melodramatic maturation for the WNBA, which until this play had not expanded since 2008. Building connected the emergence of the women's assemblage game, an ever-expanding world-wide endowment pool, and a breakout prima of planetary popularity successful Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, the WNBA has accrued its footprint successful the sports world.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who took implicit her relation successful 2019, said Monday that she sees this arsenic "far much than enlargement of the WNBA, it's an evolution" and a "transformational concern successful the aboriginal of women's sports."

With the league besides successful the process of negotiating a caller corporate bargaining agreement with the players' union, "transformative" is an close buzzword for the WNBA now.

ESPN's Michael Voepel, Kendra Andrews and Kevin Pelton look astatine Monday's enlargement announcement and what it means for the WNBA and the idiosyncratic markets.

Why is the WNBA expanding now?

Michael Voepel: For years, the enlargement question came up regularly, and the WNBA's leaders would accidental the aforesaid thing: They had funny imaginable ownership groups successful assorted cities but thing was imminent. It became a boilerplate effect until October 2023, erstwhile Golden State was announced arsenic the league's archetypal enlargement squad since 2008.

That had agelong been a people country for the WNBA, which had mislaid 1 of its archetypal 2 California-based teams -- Sacramento -- aft the 2009 season. Expansion to Toronto, the league's archetypal franchise extracurricular the United States, came successful May 2024, followed by the announcement of Portland successful September 2024.

The WNBA is taking vantage of the heightened involvement successful women's sports successful general, and women's hoops successful particular. New ownership groups successful the past fewer years person upgraded facilities and commitment, and that drew the attraction of different imaginable owners.

It mightiness look similar it's happening accelerated now, but sometimes that's however maturation is. There was stagnation for respective years successful the WNBA waiting for caller investment. Consider that the New York Liberty franchise was connected the selling artifact for much than a twelvemonth earlier Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai bought it successful January 2019 for what present seems similar an absurd discount terms of betwixt $10 cardinal to $14 million. But astatine the time, determination were galore radical who thought the Tsais were doing the NBA a favour by keeping a WNBA squad successful New York.

It's present believed the Liberty, who won the WNBA rubric past season, person an estimated valuation of astir $450 million. And determination are aggregate cities and ownership groups who wanted successful connected this circular of expansion.

How does this enlargement interaction the $2.2 cardinal TV rights woody the league signed past year?

Voepel: That 11-year woody agreed to successful July 2024 didn't look similar it would property good then, and seems little apt to now. The WNBA broadcast rights mightiness good beryllium worthy much than that successful the coming years. The bully quality for the WNBA, according to sources, is that the league and its media partners tin re-evaluate the rights fees aft 3 seasons of the deal.

How does Monday's quality interaction existent CBA negotiations? What changes are the players' national asking for?

Voepel: An expanding league puts the players successful adjacent stronger bargaining presumption due to the fact that it shows however overmuch greater involvement determination is successful the WNBA. One of the astir important improvements -- charter flights for games -- already came to the league past year. Getting that solidified successful a caller CBA has to beryllium a large goal.

Things specified arsenic salaries, different subordinate amenities, revenue-sharing percentage, roster sizes, the draught and the magnitude of the play are each connected the table. This WNBA expanded to 44 games this play and a best-of-seven Finals format. We astir apt tin expect astatine slightest a 50-game regular play is connected the way.

In its connection Monday, the WNBA players' national said: "Today's enlargement quality reinforces what players, fans, and countless metrics person already proven: the WNBA is thriving and a large investment. As the league grows, it's indispensable we unafraid a CBA that ensures players afloat stock successful the occurrence they drive."

Engelbert, national enforcement manager Terri Carmichael Jackson and national president Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm each worked unneurotic connected the past CBA, which was signed successful 2020 earlier the interaction of the COVID-19 pandemic deed hard. So they person a batch of familiarity with each different successful negotiating. There is communal respect connected some sides, due to the fact that they not lone got that woody done, but they worked unneurotic with the owners to marque definite the WNBA had a 2020 play successful a "bubble" successful Bradenton, Florida.

That wasn't a guarantee: Had everyone progressive not pushed hard for the bubble, the WNBA mightiness person mislaid an full play and the momentum that brought. Part of Engelbert's bequest arsenic a large sports commissioner successful the United States is going to beryllium that captious 2020 play and the maturation the league has seen since.

How is this WNBA enlargement antithetic from 1998-2000, erstwhile the league grew rapidly to 16 teams by its 4th play but past contracted?

Voepel: It's a precise antithetic satellite successful each way, from the maturation of women's sports, to however each sports programming is distributed and consumed, to different technological changes similar societal media. Some of the aboriginal WNBA enlargement teams were considered fundamentally charitable risks alternatively of concern decisions, and those franchises -- not amazingly -- didn't last.

The WNBA launched successful 1997 with 8 teams: Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah. In 1998, Detroit and Washington were added. Minnesota and Orlando came aboard successful 1999. Then Indiana, Miami, Portland and Seattle joined successful 2000, bringing the league to 16.

The enlargement proved excessively fast, with immoderate NBA franchises unprepared to genuinely enactment their WNBA franchises. Teams successful Miami, Orlando and Portland lasted conscionable 3 seasons; the Orlando Miracle moved to go the Connecticut Sun successful 2003, but the different 2 folded.

Cleveland was the archetypal of the archetypal franchises to fold (2003), followed by Charlotte, which ended aft the 2006 season, Houston (2008) and Sacramento (2009). The past 2 were title franchises with bully instrumentality followings but folded mostly owed to the planetary fiscal situation of 2007-2009.

Detroit moved to Tulsa for the 2010 season, past to Dallas for 2016, wherever the franchise is present the Wings. Utah moved to San Antonio successful 2003 and past to Las Vegas successful 2018, wherever the franchise is present the Aces.

Expansion franchises joined the league successful Chicago successful 2006 and Atlanta successful 2008. But until Golden State's summation this season, those were the lone enlargement teams since 2000.

This caller property enlargement -- Golden State, Portland, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia -- comes astatine a clip wherever WNBA franchises person been proven to person accumulating value.

Golden State paid an estimated $50 cardinal for its franchise, portion the 3 caller franchises announced Monday volition wage an estimated interest of $250 million.

Every squad was owned by an NBA ownership radical erstwhile the WNBA launched. Before Monday's news, that fig had dropped to six of 13 teams. Is it important that fractional of the league's teams volition again beryllium owned by the NBA?

Kevin Pelton: In immoderate ways, Monday's announcement is the bookend to an epoch that started aft the 2002 play erstwhile ownership of franchises was transferred to idiosyncratic teams. Before then, each WNBA squad was affiliated with an NBA counterpart, and respective NBA owners -- including the precocious Paul Allen successful Portland and, a twelvemonth later, the Gund household successful Cleveland -- opted out.

Independent ownership helped support the WNBA afloat implicit the past 2 decades and was down 5 of the six championships from 2018 done 2023, with the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm winning 2 titles each and 1 for the Chicago Sky. There volition inactive beryllium a spot for those groups, certainly, but it's present wide that NBA owners privation successful connected the WNBA's fiscal roar and person the resources and connections to outbid autarkic owners.

More broadly, there's been a disagreement successful the WNBA implicit the past half-decade betwixt owners who privation to minimize losses and those who privation to put heavy successful the merchandise with an oculus toward semipermanent growth. After paying a $250 cardinal enlargement fee, it's harmless to enactment the 3 newest owners successful the second category, giving that radical an overwhelming vantage heading into CBA talks that often pit owners against each different arsenic overmuch arsenic they diagnostic players against owners.

Women's hoops players agelong said 144 wasn't capable spots successful the league. What does an eventual 216 subordinate spots mean? How does that interaction the CBA?

Kendra Andrews: Engelbert has said she views the summation of enlargement teams arsenic the close mode to adhd the fig of WNBA jobs alternatively than expanding roster spots to preexisting teams. This, she said, is much cost-effective to the league since adding idiosyncratic players doesn't make further revenue, but much teams do. So, yes, the summation of 5 WNBA teams implicit the adjacent 5 years volition make much jobs and make much money.

However, it doesn't code each of the concerns the players person regarding roster construction. WNBA roster sizes person been capped astatine 12 players since 2014. Several teams person 11 players connected their rosters, depending connected their wage headdress situation. But injuries are increasing, and the magnitude of the play is expanding.

The existent CBA provides hardship exceptions for teams to adhd other players erstwhile they autumn beneath 10 active, but the ongoing negotiations are warring for a simpler strategy that besides creates much opportunity.

This mightiness besides beryllium the accidental to change the rules astir draught eligibility. Right now, those eligible for the draught indispensable beryllium assemblage seniors, juniors who crook 22 successful the twelvemonth of the draught oregon who volition postgraduate wrong 3 months of the draft, and planetary players who crook 20 successful the twelvemonth of the draft.

What did the WNBA look similar successful Detroit and Cleveland successful erstwhile stints?

Voepel: The Detroit Shock were the archetypal squad to shingle up the rapidly established powers successful the WNBA's archetypal six seasons: Houston, Los Angeles and New York. The Comets won the archetypal 4 championships and the Sparks the adjacent two. The Liberty were runners-up 4 times.

The Shock started 0-10 successful 2002, prompting a coaching power that changed everything for the franchise and the WNBA. Bill Laimbeer took implicit arsenic manager and wide manager, bringing his NBA playing acquisition and "Bad Boys" benignant to the WNBA. He finished retired 2002 astatine 9-13, but had 2 immense talents to physique astir successful erstwhile first-round picks Swin Cash and Deanna Nolan. Then the Shock added Ruth Riley successful the dispersal draught from the short-lived Miami Sol, and the No. 3 prime successful 2003, guardant Cheryl Ford.

With that halfway they bushed two-time defending champion Los Angeles successful the 2003 WNBA Finals, past won championships successful 2006 and 2008 with the summation of seasoned Katie Smith. They mislaid successful the 2007 Finals to Phoenix.

The Shock's demise was arsenic speedy arsenic their rise. Pistons and Shock proprietor Bill Davidson died successful March 2009. Laimbeer near aft conscionable 3 games successful 2009, replaced by adjunct and erstwhile Pistons teammate Rick Mahorn. After the 2009 season, the Shock were sold to an ownership radical successful Oklahoma and moved to Tulsa. Davidson's property sold the Pistons successful 2011.

So determination were loyal, heartbroken Detroit Shock fans who had a three-time champion abruptly taken away.

Cleveland was a antithetic scenario: The squad didn't person overmuch clip to found a foothold successful 7 years. The Rockers made the playoffs 4 times earlier the franchise folded. Cleveland has hosted 2 Women's Final Fours (2007, 2024) since the Rockers folded successful 2003. So the portion has shown an involvement successful women's hoops implicit the past 2 decades, which should bode good for the re-introduction of the WNBA.

What did we larn astir Philadelphia arsenic a pro women's hoops metropolis successful the ABL?

Voepel: Dawn Staley is apt the archetypal sanction radical deliberation of with this metropolis and women's hoops. The South Carolina manager is simply a Philadelphian who played for the ABL's Richmond/Philadelphia Rage franchise from 1996 until the league folded during the 1998-99 season.

The Rage had conscionable 1 afloat play successful Philadelphia, playing astatine the Palestra from 1997-98, erstwhile they went 13-31. Under manager Anne Donovan, the Rage started 9-5 successful 1998-99 earlier the ABL ceased operations successful December 1998.

So the Rage didn't person the accidental to permission a footprint successful Philadelphia. But with the city's interaction connected women's hoops -- UConn's Geno Auriemma and erstwhile Notre Dame manager Muffet McGraw are among galore on with Staley who are from the Philly country -- determination is simply a batch of past determination to link with for a caller WNBA franchise.

How volition the enlargement teams beryllium built? How agelong mightiness it instrumentality for them to go competitive?

Andrews: Like with the Valkyries, and the upcoming enlargement teams successful Portland and Toronto, determination volition apt beryllium an enlargement draught wherever Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia tin prime players from preexisting teams successful the WNBA.

With each of those teams launching successful antithetic years, their enlargement drafts could look akin to the Valkyries, wherever they were the lone squad selecting players truthful they didn't person to hole for what different squad would privation to do. While details for Portland and Toronto's enlargement draught person not been released, they'll apt instrumentality turns making selections.

In the 2024 enlargement draught for Golden State, each of the different 12 teams could support up to six players connected their rosters that could not beryllium selected by the Valkyries. The past clip determination was an enlargement draught for aggregate teams was successful 2000 for the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm, arsenic good arsenic the now-defunct Miami Sol and Portland Fire. In that draft, different teams protected 8 players, and the caller teams each selected six players and past filled retired their rosters successful the draft, successful escaped bureau and via trades.

Golden State's strategy successful gathering its squad was to trust connected established sixth women, arsenic good arsenic a dense planetary presence. The Valkyries didn't onshore immoderate of the apical escaped agents oregon opt to prime their face of the franchise done the draft. It's paid disconnected arsenic the Valkyries person already won much games than their preseason projection. But wide manager Ohemma Nynanin said she doesn't judge this volition needfully physique a blueprint for different enlargement teams.