Warriors confirm plans to bring new WNBA expansion team to the Bay Area starting in 2025
SAN FRANCISCO -- The first new Women's National Basketball Association team in 15 years is coming to the San Francisco Bay Area as part of the Golden State Warriors organization, team and league officials announced Thursday.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has faced constant questions about when the league would expand, to which she would reply when the time was right.
"The right time, the right moment is today," Engelbert said, while welcoming, "the next generation of leaders, mothers and athletes."
The expansion team, whose name has not been disclosed, will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco starting in 2025 while its head office and practice facility will be in Oakland.
"The Bay Area is the perfect market for a WNBA team, and we are thrilled this opportunity has finally come to fruition," Warriors Co-Executive Chairman and CEO Joe Lacob said in a news release. "We have been interested in a WNBA franchise for several years, due in part to the rich history of women's basketball in the Bay Area, and believe now is the ideal time to execute that vision and build upon that legacy."
Game tickets are not yet on sale but fans can pay $25 to place their names on a waiting list to buy season tickets, according to the team's website.
"Joe Lacob, (Warriors owner) Peter Guber and their leadership team know how to build and operate a world-class organization, as witnessed by the immense success the Warriors' franchise has enjoyed from both a business and basketball perspective over the last decade," said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. "Their interest in joining the WNBA family is yet another sign of the league's growth potential."
On hand for the announcement were Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, former player and current California coach Charmin Smith, WNBPA Director of Player Relations Jayne Appel and other former stars such as Sheryl Swoopes and Seimone Augustus.
Engelbert called the Bay Area a "hub" for women's basketball.
"This is a thrilling time for the WNBA," she said.
More information about the new team can be found at wnba.com/goldenstate.
