Timeline of the WNBA
The following is a timeline of organizational changes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), a women's professional basketball league in the United States that began play in 1997 with 8 teams and now comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). This article includes expansions, contractions, and relocations.[1][2]
Timeline
[edit]Current member Former member Relocated member Future member
Summary
[edit]| Season(s) | No. of teams |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 8 |
| 1998 | 10 |
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2000–2002 | 16 |
| 2003 | 14 |
| 2004–2005 | 13 |
| 2006 | 14 |
| 2007 | 13 |
| 2008 | 14 |
| 2009 | 13 |
| 2010–2024 | 12 |
| 2025 | 13 |
| 2026–Future | 15 |
Relocated teams
[edit]- Orlando Miracle (1999–2002) – relocated to Connecticut, to become the Connecticut Sun (2003–present)
- Utah Starzz (1997–2002) – relocated to San Antonio to become the San Antonio Silver Stars (2003–2013), rebranded as the San Antonio Stars (2014–2017), and relocated again to Paradise, Nevada, to become the Las Vegas Aces (2018–present)
- Detroit Shock (1998–2009) – relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to become the Tulsa Shock (2010–2015) and then to Arlington, Texas, to become the Dallas Wings (2016–present)
Folded teams
[edit]- Charlotte Sting – 1997–2006
- Cleveland Rockers – 1997–2003
- Houston Comets – 1997–2008
- Miami Sol – 2000–2002
- Portland Fire – 2000–2002
- Sacramento Monarchs – 1997–2009
1997–2002: Early years
[edit]1997: Inaugural season (8 teams)
[edit]The league operated its inaugural season in 1997 with eight teams split into two conferences.[3]
| Eastern | Western |
|---|---|
| Charlotte Sting | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Cleveland Rockers | Phoenix Mercury |
| Houston Comets | Sacramento Monarchs |
| New York Liberty | Utah Starzz |
1998: First expansion (10 teams)
[edit]- The Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics were added and placed in the Eastern Conference.
- The Houston Comets moved to the Western Conference.
| Team's first season in the WNBA * | Team switched conferences ‡ |
1999: Second expansion (12 teams)
[edit]- The Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Miracle were added.
- The Miracle were placed in the Eastern Conference, while the Lynx were placed in the Western Conference.
| Team's first season in the WNBA * |
2000–2001: Third expansion (16 teams)
[edit]- The Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and Seattle Storm were added.
- The Fever and the Sol were placed in the Eastern Conference, while the Fire and the Storm were placed in the Western Conference.
| Team's first season in the WNBA (2000) * |
2002: Miami and Portland fold (16 teams)
[edit]- The Miami Sol and Portland Fire folded after the season.
| Team folded after the season † |
2003–2009: Contraction & expansion
[edit]2003: Orlando and Utah relocate, Cleveland folds (14 teams)
[edit]- The Orlando Miracle relocated to Connecticut to become the Connecticut Sun.[4]
- The Utah Starzz relocated to San Antonio to become the San Antonio Silver Stars.[5]
- The Cleveland Rockers folded after the season.
| Team folded after the season † |
2004–2005 (13 teams)
[edit]2006: Chicago added and Charlotte folds (14 teams)
[edit]- The Chicago Sky was added and placed in the Eastern Conference.
- The Charlotte Sting folded after the season.
| Team's first season in the WNBA * | Team folded after the season † |
2007 (13 teams)
[edit]2008: Atlanta added and Houston folds (14 teams)
[edit]- The Atlanta Dream was added and placed in the Eastern Conference.
- The Houston Comets folded after the season.
| Team's first season in the WNBA * | Team folded after the season † |
2009: Sacramento folds (13 teams)
[edit]- The Sacramento Monarchs folded after the season.
| Team folded after the season † |
2010–2024: Relocations
[edit]2010: Detroit relocates (12 teams)
[edit]- The Detroit Shock relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma to become the Tulsa Shock and moved to the Western Conference.[6]
| Team switched conferences ‡ |
2014: San Antonio rebrands (12 teams)
[edit]- The San Antonio Silver Stars rebranded as the San Antonio Stars.[5]
2016: Tulsa relocates (12 teams)
[edit]- The Tulsa Shock relocated to Arlington, Texas to become the Dallas Wings.[7]
2018: San Antonio relocates (12 teams)
[edit]- The San Antonio Stars relocated to Paradise, Nevada to become the Las Vegas Aces.[8]
2025–present: Expansion era
[edit]2025: Golden State added (13 teams)
[edit]- The Golden State Valkyries was added and placed in the Western Conference.[1]
| Team's first season in the WNBA * |
2026: Portland and Toronto to be added (15 teams)
[edit]- Portland and Toronto Tempo are scheduled to be added.
- Portland is expected to be placed in the Western Conference, while the Tempo will be placed in the Eastern Conference[9].
| Team's first season in the WNBA * |
Potential future expansion
[edit]The WNBA's exponential growth and popularity in recent years has led to rising expansion fees. The Golden State Valkyries, the league’s 13th franchise that began play in May 2025, paid $50 million to join, while the Toronto Tempo and Portland's yet-to-be-named team — the 14th and 15th franchises scheduled to begin play in 2026 — paid $115 million and $125 million, respectively.[10]
The deadline for the next expansion bids was January 30, 2025. At the time, the bids were believed to be for a 16th and final expansion team. League commissioner Cathy Engelbert had said she was aiming to have the league expand to 16 teams by 2028.[11] However, as fees are expected to double, the league is rethinking its original plan of adding just one more expansion team and could award an additional two franchises to bring the total to 18 clubs.
The following cities submitted bids for an WNBA expansion team: Austin, Charlotte, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Nashville, and Philadelphia.[12] In anticipation, the WNBA filed new trademark applications for four of its former teams: Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Detroit Shock, and Houston Comets.[10]
Austin
[edit]A group trying to bring a team to the city filed a formal bid with the WNBA. Former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry is the lead investor in the group through his investment firm, Avenue Capital, while former University of Texas player and perennial NBA All-Star Kevin Durant and former Houston Comets player Fran Harris are both involved with the bid.
Under the National Basketball Association's (NBA) collective bargaining agreement, current NBA players can buy up to 4% of a WNBA team, and NBA players in aggregate can own up to 8% of a WNBA team, as long as a current NBA owner is not part of the bidding group.
Charlotte
[edit]Charlotte was previously home to the Sting, one of the WNBA’s original eight members when the league began play in 1997. The Sting folded following the 2006 season amid low attendance and declining revenue after failure to find a buyer.[13]
Charlotte Hornets owners Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall are part of a group that submitted a bid for an expansion franchise to Allen & Company, a New York-based investment bank leading the expansion process, before the January 2025 deadline.
The team would be reprised as the Charlotte Sting and play at the Spectrum Center, home of the Hornets, as early as 2028. In February 2025, the WNBA filed new trademark applications for the "Charlotte Sting" name.
Cleveland
[edit]Cleveland was previously home to the Rockers, one of the WNBA’s original eight members when the league began play in 1997. However, the franchise folded after the 2003 season when former owner Gordon Gund could not sell the team due to tumbling revenue and erratic attendance.
In February 2025, it was speculated that the WNBA was preparing to award its 16th franchise to Cleveland, with an approximate bid worth a league record $250 million.[10] Cleveland is expected to join the league for the 2028 season playing at Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will be reprised as the "Cleveland Rockers".
Denver
[edit]A group led by the Dimond family submitted a formal bid with to bring an expansion team to Denver. Navin Dimond is the founder of the hotelier Stonebridge Companies. Ashley Dimond, his daughter, would serve as the team’s governor and confirmed that they plan to build a new arena for the team, assuming they win the bid.[14]
Detroit
[edit]Detroit was previously home to the Shock, one of the WNBA’s first expansion teams when it began play in 1998. Between 1998 and 2009, the Shock won three WNBA championships. However, the team’s low fan attendance led the franchise to relocate to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2009, where it played until 2015. The franchise moved again in 2015, to Arlington, Texas, and is now called the Dallas Wings.[15]
In January 2025, Tom Gores, owner of the Detroit Pistons, submitted a formal bid to bring women’s pro basketball back to Michigan. Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and owner Sheila Ford Hamp, Hall of Fame former Pistons forward Grant Hill, and former University of Michigan and Pistons forward Chris Webber are part of the investment group. The new team would play at Little Caesars Arena, home of the Pistons.[12]
The WNBA coincidentally filed a trademark application for the name “Detroit Shock” the same day Gores submitted his offer, a potential sign of the league’s intentions to revive the team.[10]
Houston
[edit]Houston was previously home to the Comets, one of the WNBA’s original eight members when the league began play in 1997. Although they won the league's first four championships (1997–2000), the team folded in 2008 after suffering $4 million in annual losses.[10]
Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is interested in bringing an expansion franchise back to Houston. The city is in an optimal position, because the Rockets recently built a 75,000 square-foot practice facility, which they would share with a WNBA team, owner Fertitta is reportedly worth more than $10 billion, and they have an infrastructure that is appealing to the WNBA. The franchise would play at the Toyota Center, home of the Rockets.[16][17]
Kansas City
[edit]A group led by the National Women's Soccer League’s (NWSL) Kansas City Current co-owners, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, his wife Brittany, and Angie and Chris Long, submitted a formal bid to bring an expansion team to Kansas City. The group has already signed an agreement with T-Mobile Center to be the arena’s anchor tenant and the franchise would build a 60,000-square-foot privately-financed practice facility on land the group already owns in the same area as the Current’s facility.[18][19][20]
Nashville
[edit]A group in Nashville, led by Bill Haslam, who is set to become the majority owner of the National Hockey League's (NHL)Nashville Predators by July 1, 2025, and his wife, Crissy, have lined up a group of investors, including former WNBA player Candace Parker, former National Football League (NFL) player Peyton Manning, and American country singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.[12][21]
The franchise would be called the "Tennessee Summitt", in honor of Pat Summitt, the legendary University of Tennessee Lady Vols women’s basketball coach who won eight NCAA championships during her Hall of Fame career from 1974 to 2012. The team would play at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Predators.[21]
Philadelphia
[edit]Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), which also owns the NHL's New Jersey Devils, submitted a bid for an expansion team. When Harris partnered with Comcast on a new arena in South Philadelphia, the priority was to house a WNBA team along with the Sixers and the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers.[22]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "How Many WNBA Teams Are There? Running Through the History of WNBA Contraction and Expansion". SI. 2025-04-29. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ "List of all the WNBA Teams". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ "WNBA.com: History of the WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
The Eastern Conference consisted of the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets and New York Liberty while the Western Conference comprised the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs and Utah Starzz.
- ^ "Connecticut Sun | EBSCO Research Starters". www.ebsco.com. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ a b "San Antonio Season Statistics". aces.wnba.com. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "WNBA officially announces Shock move to Tulsa". ESPN.com. 2009-10-20. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Heinz • •, Frank (2015-11-02). "WNBA's Tulsa Shock Gets New Name, New Home in Arlington". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "Las Vegas Aces | EBSCO Research Starters". www.ebsco.com. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Tickets - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ a b c d e "Cleveland likely to get next WNBA franchise in '28". Sports Business Journal. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ Schiffer, Alex (2025-02-19). "WNBA Expansion Is Rapidly Accelerating". Front Office Sports. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ a b c Pickman, Ben; Vorkunov, Mike (2025-02-11). "WNBA expansion: Which cities are in the running to earn the 16th team?". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ Mahoney, Ashley (2025-02-11). "Bring back the Sting: Charlotte one step closer to WNBA return". Axios. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Denver investors want to build WNBA arena for potential new team, report says". Denverite. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ^ "The WNBA could be returning to Detroit more than 15 years after the Shock left". The Michigan Independent. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta Interested in Bringing WNBA Team Back to Houston". SI. 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ DuBose, Ben. "Report: Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta in strong position to bring WNBA team to Houston". Rockets Wire. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ^ Pickman, Ben; read, Mike Vorkunov·11 min (2025-02-11). "WNBA expansion: Which cities are in the running to earn the 16th team?". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Patrick Mahomes Headlines Ownership Group Working to Bring WNBA to Kansas City". SI. 2024-10-30. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ Teicher, Adam (October 31, 2024). "Mahomes eyes WNBA team: 'No-brainer' for K.C." ESPN.com. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ a b "NHL Owner Announces Bid for Nashville WNBA Team, With Name Honoring Pat Summitt". SI. 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "76ers Owners Submitting Bid to Bring WNBA Expansion Team to Philadelphia". SI. 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-05-29.