The Bay Area will soon have another team that basketball fans can cheer for. According to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, Golden State Warriors’ owners are finalizing a deal for a WNBA franchise.
Thompson reports that nothing is finalized yet, but there is an overwhelming optimism that the deal will be brought over the finishing line. If everything goes well, the official announcement is expected to be made at some point in October.
The Bay Area WNBA team would be located in Oakland, where the old Warriors practice facility is located.
However, they would play their home games at San Francisco’s Chase Center, just like the NBA team.
“We have had productive conversations with the WNBA and look forward to the possibility of being a part of the league’s expansion plans. However, it would be premature to assume any potential agreement has been finalized,” said the Warriors when reached out for comment by The Athletic.
Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob has deep ties with women’s basketball, having played a part in establishing American Basketball League as an owner of San Jose Lasers. However, the league only played two full seasons in 1996 and 1997 before folding midway through the 1998 season.
WNBA has been considering adding more teams to its 12-team league for a while now. The current plan is to get one or two new teams to join by 2025.
