| Golden State WNBA team | |
|---|---|
| League | WNBA |
| Founded | 2025 |
| History | Golden State WNBA team 2025–future |
| Arena | Chase Center |
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| President | Jess Smith |
| Ownership | Joe Lacob, Peter Guber |
The Golden State WNBA team is an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The team is scheduled to begin play in 2025 as a member of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
History[edit]
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which started in 1997, previously had a team in the market in the Sacramento Monarchs, which played from 1997 until folding in 2009 and won a league championship.[1] After the Monarchs ended, the WNBA remained steady with 12 teams, although there was often talk of expanding the league.[1]
On September 26, 2023, it was reported by The Athletic that the owners of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, were finalizing an agreement to start a WNBA expansion team in San Francisco.[2] Lacob had previously helped found the American Basketball League (ABL), which played before the WNBA, and owned one of their teams, the San Jose Lasers.[2] The ABL folded in 1998 and the Lasers were the last San Francisco Bay Area women's basketball team.[2]
On October 5, 2023, the expansion team was officially announced, with plans to begin play in 2025, being the first expansion team in the WNBA since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.[3][4] The expansion fee for the franchise was reported to be $50 million over 10 years.[5] It was reported that the team name's would include "Golden State", with announcement of the name, logos, and uniforms to come at a later date.[4] Lacob and Guber became the team's owners, and it was announced that the team would play its home games at the Chase Center in San Francisco, while being headquartered in Oakland.[6]
Within the first few hours of being announced, over 2,000 season ticket deposits were placed.[4] On January 30, 2024, Jess Smith, an executive with Angel City FC, was hired as the team's president.[7] On April 16, the team surpassed 6,000 season ticket deposits.[8] An expansion draft is scheduled to be held in December 2024, and Golden State will participate in its first WNBA draft in 2025.[9][10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "What to know about the Warriors' WNBA expansion franchise". ESPN. October 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c Thompson II, Marcus (September 26, 2023). "Warriors finalizing agreement to bring WNBA team to Bay Area: Sources". The Athletic.
- ^ McCauley, Janie (October 5, 2023). "Golden State Warriors granted WNBA expansion franchise to begin play in 2025". Associated Press.
- ^ a b c Shelburne, Ramona (October 5, 2023). "WNBA announces Bay Area expansion team to begin play in 2025". ESPN.
- ^ Novy-Williams, Eben; Soshnick, Scott (October 5, 2023). "Warriors to Pay Record $50M to Secure WNBA Expansion Team". Yahoo.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "WNBA expansion team awarded to Bay Area, will begin play in 2025". National Basketball Association. October 5, 2023.
- ^ Philippou, Alexa (January 30, 2024). "Angel City FC exec Jess Smith to head Warriors' WNBA team". ESPN.
- ^ Mastrodonato, Jason (April 16, 2024). "2025 WNBA Draft: Five prospects to watch for Golden State's expansion team". The Mercury News.
- ^ "Golden State FAQ". Women's National Basketball Association.
- ^ Ingemi, Marisa (February 1, 2024). "What's next for Golden State WNBA team? Timeline for name, GM, coach, roster". San Francisco Chronicle.