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(KRON) — A deal that would bring a WNBA team to the Bay Area is close to being completed, according to reports from The Athletic and ESPN Tuesday. The team would be owned by Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, the Athletic said.
While Oakland, which is on the verge of losing its third professional sports team, has been seen as a potential landing spot for a WNBA team, The Athletic reported that this potential franchise would play its home games at San Francisco’s Chase Center. The team headquarters and practice facility would be in Oakland.
The deal is close but details need to be resolved before it is complete, according to The Athletic.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said last year that she plans to expand the league. The Bay Area was on the short list of cities that could land a team.
“Certainly Bay Area, generally, including Oakland or San Francisco, is certainly on our list, high on our list,” she told Yahoo! “The W is everywhere right now. But such a great market out there given women’s college basketball [is] very popular in the Bay Area. Yes, that’s definitely on the list.”
Oakland Vice-Mayor Rebecca Kaplan introduced a resolution in September 2022 that aimed to bring a WNBA team to Oakland.
“As these conversations unfold, the City of Oakland must make it clear that not only are we supportive of bringing a WNBA Team to Oakland, but are excited to be partners and collaborators with the WNBA during the expansion,” she said.
Since then, news broke that the A’s intend to leave Oakland for Las Vegas, joining the Raiders and Warriors as teams departing the East Bay’s biggest city.
With powerhouse Stanford located in Palo Alto, the Bay Area already has one strong women’s basketball team. The Bay Area has never had a WNBA team. The WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs existed from 1997-2009 before eventually folding.
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