The WNBA is enjoying a stretch of tremendous growth over the last five years, and that seems like just the beginning as young stars like Caitlin Clark push women’s hoops into the mainstream consciousness.
With a new TV deal on the horizon that figures to bring a lot more money into the league, the WNBA has begun exploring ways to capitalize on this moment. One of those is announcing teams will fly charter rather than commercial starting this year, as they look to avoid some of the travel disasters that plagued the league previously.
They are also looking to expand, with a new franchise in San Francisco getting set to join the league in 2025. That team will be the 13th in the WNBA, and the plan is to get to 14 ASAP — and eventually 16. However, the WNBA has wanted to make sure they are adding teams — and more importantly owners/ownership groups — that are able to invest what’s necessary to help continue the league’s growth. A Portland franchise was supposed to be the 14th team, but that fell apart last year and the WNBA shifted attention elsewhere.
Now, it appears Toronto will be the next city to nab a WNBA team, with an ownership group led by Larry Tanenbaum, per CBC Sports.
CBC Sports has learned that Kilmer Sports Inc., headed by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, has been granted an expansion franchise with the Women’s National Basketball Association.
An announcement is expected May 23 in Toronto, with the team to begin play in May 2026, according to four people with knowledge of the deal but who are not authorized to speak about it.
Tanenbaum has a minority stake in MLSE, which owns the Maple Leafs and Raptors, but the board apparently turned down a proposal to own a WNBA franchise so he went with his own group.
The WNBA has tested the waters in Canada recently, playing a preseason game in Toronto last year and Edmonton this year, with both selling out. Now, it seems the league is set to make Canada a permanent home for a franchise, bringing the league up to 14 teams in 2026.