Kansas City is home to the only soccer stadium in the world built just for women. And the women’s Big 12 basketball tournament is held in KC each year.
But hopes for a WNBA team in Kansas City were dashed Monday when the league announced it was expanding to Cleveland in 2028, Detroit the following year and Philadelphia in 2030.
The WNBA will have 18 teams when the Philadelphia franchise joins the league. Teams in Toronto and Portland will be added to the WNBA next year.
Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the KC Sports Commission and VisitKC, threw Kansas City’s hat in the ring for an expansion team last October. It is not known how strongly KC pushed for a team, but Nelson said she would be aggressive in seeking a franchise.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is co-owner of the Current soccer team with his wife Brittany, and Angie and Chris Long, said last year he would love to have a professional women’s basketball team at the T-Mobile Center.
“Obviously, we want to get basketball to Kansas City in general and the WNBA and the success that they’ve had this last season and these last few seasons,” Mahomes said. “It’s kind of a no-brainer to try to get a WNBA team in Kansas City, to this fanbase. ...
“It was cool that we were able to get the soccer team — the women’s soccer team here and the Current and they’re going to the playoffs now and you see the support that they have. Let’s try to get a WNBA team in here as well and (it’s) kind of that same type of ownership group. They’ve done the Current the right way and I want to continue to work with them to take that next step and get a WNBA team here.”
Why not KC?
Each of the three cities awarded WNBA teams on Monday also have NBA teams, and that likely played a part in the expansion plans.
Each new team paid $250 million in expansion fees, according to ESPN. That could have affected Kansas City’s chances.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert noted the expanded interest in the league.
“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” Engelbert said in a news release. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.
“I am deeply grateful for our new owners and ownership groups — Dan Gilbert in Cleveland, Tom Gores in Detroit, and Josh Harris, David Blitzer, David Adelman and Brian Roberts in Philadelphia — for their belief in the WNBA’s future and their commitment to building thriving teams that will energize and inspire their communities.”
The WNBA is returning to Cleveland, which had a team from 1997 to 2003 before ceasing operations under former Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund. A WNBA in Detroit won three titles during its 11 seasons (1998-2009), but it relocated to Oklahoma City and later moved to Dallas.