For all the talk of WNBA expansion to Philly, the league is still vague on details

“I’ve said Philly is on the list, and Philly is on the list,” commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at the WNBA Finals. But she dodged a question about whether the 76ers have officially bid for a team.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.Read moreEric Risberg / AP

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published Oct. 10, 2024, 9:54 p.m. ET

NEW YORK — As she awaited Game 1 of what promised to be a raucous WNBA Finals, commissioner Cathy Engelbert was happy to talk about the league’s expansion goals.

But as soon as any specifics came up about cities that could fulfill those goals — especially the one closest to the Collingswood native’s hometown — she quickly turned vague.

In particular, she avoided directly answering a question about the 76ers’ statement last month that they “have been engaged with the league on the process” of bringing an expansion team to town.

That statement followed Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s announcement that the Sixers “expect to submit a bid for a WNBA team” that would play at their proposed Market Street arena.

“I’ve said Philly is on the list, and Philly is on the list,” Engelbert said Thursday at a news conference before the game, which the Minnesota Lynx won over the New York Liberty in overtime at the Barclays Center, 95-93.

That seemed to be an allusion to her remarks six months ago at the WNBA’s draft that put Philadelphia on the list of cities the league was talking to. At the time, that list included Toronto and Portland, which since have been awarded expansion teams that will tip off in 2026.

“We have a lot of demand from many cities — I’d say 10 or so, maybe even plus at this point,” Engelbert said Thursday, and she later clarified: “I’d say there’s 10 to 12 cities that are very viable that we’re evaluating, and we have a process.”

Not just about an arena

She didn’t directly ask the public to trust that process, but she came close enough.

“The more people are watching the WNBA and seeing what we’re growing here, and seeing these players and the product on the court, more people are interested in having it in their cities,” she said. “They see the economic impact of having a WNBA team in their city, the role models in the community these players represent.”

The Sixers’ bid, and all the others, will be held to a high standard as the league continues to grow. On top of the usual expenses that include leaguewide charter flights, many WNBA teams now have their own practice facilities and are growing their coaching, analytics, medical, and support staffs.

And of course, a team better do its best to win — especially in a sports-crazed city like Philadelphia.

“You want to make sure the expansion owners know, when you come into the league, it’s a competitive league,” Engelbert said. “Free agency is competitive now, and all of our owners are investing. You see investing in practice facilities and other player experiences.”

Engelbert said her goal is for the next franchise after that, which would be the league’s 16th, to begin play in 2027 or 2028. She also indicated that the league might pause expansion for a time afterward.

‘Some good relationships’

If that proves true, it will make the competition even fiercer. (Then again, if there’s really that much demand, it’s hard to believe the league would turn it all down. MLS and the NWSL haven’t, and they’ve made plenty of money that way.)

When would a team have to have its bid package sealed in time to meet the commissioner’s ideal deadline? The 76ers might like to know, since they’ve said they want their arena open for the 2031-32 season.

They’ve also said their “goal is for our new arena to serve as home to both the 76ers and a WNBA franchise,” but haven’t said anything about whether they’d try to bring a women’s team to town before then.

“I’d say I don’t have a deadline by which we have to name it,” Engelbert said. “As we get into the offseason, we’ll start taking a look at those that will go to the top of the list through our process.”

She concluded her news conference by saying “we’ve built some good relationships with some of the potential cities as they’ve started to engage with the league on an expansion team.”

But while she said on her way out the door that she’s “still devastated about the Phillies’ loss last night,” she still won’t say how close a Philadelphia team in her league could be to cheering her up.

More WNBA news

Before discussing expansion, Engelbert announced two major changes to the league’s playoff calendar.

The biggest news is that the Finals will expand from the current best-of-five series to best-of-seven, with a 2-2-1-1-1 format. The best-of-three first round also will get a tweak, changing from the high seed hosting the first two games to a 1-1-1 format that ensures that every qualifier gets a home game.

The regular season also will expand from 40 to 44 games. That will put another boost into the new broadcast deals that start in 2026, with NBC joining incumbents ESPN (including ABC) and Amazon’s Prime Video.

Finally, Engelbert announced that next year’s expansion team, the San Francisco Valkyries, will get the No. 5 pick in each round of the draft. That is the first pick after the four teams in the lottery: Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Washington.

Fans and front offices alike had wondered what the league would do on the subject, because while there’s been a lot of relocation over the years, there hasn’t been a true expansion team since 2008.

The lottery will be held on Nov. 17, the Valkyries’ expansion draft will be Dec. 6, and next year’s college draft is set for April 14. Connecticut star Paige Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 pick. Other top draft prospects to watch in the coming season include Southern California’s Kiki Iriafen, LSU’s Aneesah Morrow, UConn’s Azzi Fudd, and Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles.