The WNBA is becoming a more lucrative league due to a multitude of factors, but primarily due to the rise of new young stars such as Caitlin Clark. This excitement about the league has led to a $2.2 billion media rights deal and new expansion teams such as this year’s Golden State Valkyrie. On 6/30/25, three new cities were chosen to be host to teams, including 2 original members in Detroit and Cleveland, and one newcomer, Philadelphia.
The team will join the rest of the league in 2030 and be managed by the same ownership group as the 76ers. Even with the surprise of the announcement, expansion has been a long time coming for the city.
Josh Harris, the current 76ers owner, said “Philadelphia is one of the most storied basketball cities in the world,” and he is not wrong. The Sixers have long been members of the NBA, being the home for players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, and Joel Embid. The college level is nothing to scoff at either. Villanova has been making a case to be a true blue blood in the NCAA as they have won two March Madness championships in the last ten years. The high school level has also produced many players, including the late, great Kobe Bryant. The culture in the area isn’t the only aspect that makes expansion enticing, but the grassroots support as well.
The call for a team in the region truly started in 2022. There was a surge in online support for WNBA expansion to multiple cities, Philly being one of them. This really took hold around the area, as the hashtag #WNBATOPHILLY started to trend. Many publications such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Athletic supported the idea, citing the already built infrastructure, such as the Wells Fargo Center, as a major reason to do so. Major figures in women’s basketball also make this decision make more sense.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is a Pennsylvania native, making expansion into the state not all that surprising. This was further supported by the fact that in multiple interviews from 2022-2023, it was said that the league was studying 10-12 cities for expansion, and it later came out that Philadelphia was on the shortlist. Now that Philly is off the list and cemented as a franchise, all fans have left to do is wait and be excited.
One person who is extremely excited about this is Dawn Staley. The University of South Carolina coach is a former WNBA and Philly native. Earlier in the month, on the “Not Gonna Lie” podcast hosted by Kylie Kelce, she said that she would rather be an owner of a Philadelphia WNBA team than coach and would invest in the team. In a social media post made via her X account, she stated “PHILLY PHILLY y’all ready for the @philawnba?!! The countdown clock has started!!!”
WNBA success has been rapid and exciting, and Philadelphia now gets to join in on that ride. The culture of the area and long history of support will surely be enough to create yet another win for the WNBA.
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