Photo Courtesy of Eric Risberg/AP
The WNBA continues to grow. Fans are tuning into games, players are getting recognition and now, fans have a new team to cheer for.
On Thursday, the WNBA announced it has approved the Golden State Warriors as an expansion franchise. The franchise is expected to be a part of the 2025 season.
Talks of the WNBA expanding and heading to the Bay Area first were first discussed by Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. He wrote about the talks on Sept. 26. Thompson mentioned that the Warriors were on the verge of a deal but certain details needed to be worked out. Since then, those details were worked out and the Warriors are bringing a WNBA team to their area.
The Warriors franchise is no stranger to success. In the NBA, the Warriors have won four titles from 2015 to now (and seven championships since the beginning of their franchise). Golden State is a highly respected team, and with the addition of veteran point guard Chris Paul, the Warriors could be a team to watch out for this season. But that is all NBA talk. The WNBA is making its way to the Bay Area, and there are already high expectations. Warriors chairman Joe Lacob spoke about the expectations with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
“We’re coming in here, number one, to win,” Lacob said. “Number two, we want to see this league and women’s basketball grow, and we hope to be a big part of it.
For the WNBA, this is their first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream in 2008. Lacob mentioned that the Bay Area team will likely be known as “Golden State,” but the second part of their name has yet to be determined.
The Bay Area team may not be the only WNBA expansion team, as Portland is also in consideration. The WNBA is headed to bigger and better things and this move is just the beginning.
