On Thursday, the WNBA confirmed reports that the Bay Area was getting an expansion franchise in 2025, officially announcing the WNBA Golden State franchise on Twitter, with a press conference to follow.
It’s official. We’re expanding.
Tune in at 1pm EST/10am PST on X and the WNBA App to watch live remarks from @CathyEngelbert and @wnbagoldenstate pic.twitter.com/l7UiUT7kA3
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 5, 2023
The franchise will play at the Chase Center in San Francisco, which is the recently built home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and will give the league 13 teams, although the expectation is for a second expansion team to be announced in the coming months to bring the total back to an even number at 14 squads. The team will be operated by the Warriors ownership group.
As for where that second team will be located, Howard Megdal of The Next reports Portland is expected to be named as the other expansion location. Fans have been asking for expansion franchises for years, and with the recent growth of the league and more interest in ownership opportunities, the league finally chose 2025 as the year to expand. By adding teams in cities that already have an NBA presence, they mitigate some of the cost and logistics issues of launching a new team as there is already an arena in place to host games — which allows those teams to get going in just two years time.