Could Vancouver support a WNBA expansion team?
Local hoops fans have been daydreaming about the return of the NBA ever since the Vancouver Grizzlies left town in 2001.
But maybe it’s time we turn our attention to another professional basketball league.
After previously showing interest in bringing an NBA team to the city, Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini admitted in 2018 that the price tag for a team had become too rich.
“Right now the entry cost is prohibitive, because it’s up to two billion [dollars] now,” Aquilini said in an interview with Sportsnet 650 nearly seven years ago. “Five years ago it was like $300 million, $350 million.”
NBA franchise values aren’t getting any cheaper, with the Boston Celtics recently selling for a record $6.1 billion valuation.
So how about a WNBA team instead?
An impressive crowd of 15,892 showed up at Rogers Arena on Friday to see the Seattle Storm beat the Atlanta Dream in the first WNBA regular-season game played outside of the United States.
“It was an incredible crowd tonight. First time in Vancouver, they showed a lot of love,” Seattle guard Skylar Diggins said post-game. “We just love coming out here, playing in front of this electric [crowd].”
Her teammate, Nneka Ogwumike, echoed those thoughts.
“It was electric out there,” said Ogwumike. “We talked about it in the locker room. It felt like a playoff game almost. We definitely felt (the fans) behind us.”
Atlanta’s Brittney Griner takes it to the hoop in Vancouver (Mary Kessenich/Daily Hive)
The WNBA has surged in popularity recently, following the hype of Caitlin Clark and others. The 2024 season smashed records, as average viewership on ESPN rose 170 per cent from the season prior.
Five more teams are set to enter the league in the next five years, beginning with Toronto and Portland in 2026. Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029), and Philadelphia (2030) were awarded franchises earlier this summer, with each ownership group agreeing to pay $250 million expansion fees.
“Each location was selected based on an analysis of market viability, committed long-term ownership groups, potential for significant local fan, corporate, media, and city and state support, arena and practice facilities, and community commitment to advancing the sport, among other factors,” the WNBA explained in a June 30 media release.
Vancouver is guaranteed two more games next season, as the expansion Toronto Tempo announced plans to play a pair of home games at Rogers Arena. The new Toronto franchise is attempting to brand itself as Canada’s team, and that may well prove to be successful.
But if those games in Vancouver are well attended, wouldn’t this city look good as a future expansion team?
Yes we do (Mary Kessenich/Daily Hive)
When the WNBA launched in 1997, it did so with eight teams that were owned by eight NBA clubs. And they each played in NBA cities.
That’s no longer the case, as six of the league’s 13 current teams are owned independently. Three current teams (Seattle, Las Vegas, Connecticut) don’t play in NBA cities.
That would seemingly open the door for Vancouver — a city now with a metro population of over three million.
Naz Hillmon, Dominique Malonga, and Allisha Gray look on (Mary Kessenich/Daily Hive)
The competition for a team is fierce though, with cities likes Boston, Houston, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Kansas City, Charlotte, and Austin all reportedly interested in expansion franchises.
A WNBA team would also go head-to-head with many of Vancouver’s existing summer teams, given that the league’s regular-season schedule runs from May to September. That would put a Vancouver WNBA franchise up against the Vancouver Whitecaps, BC Lions, Vancouver Canadians, and Vancouver Bandits, among other local teams.
Its season wouldn’t overlap with Vancouver’s new pro women’s hockey team, set to begin its inaugural PWHL season this fall.
So what do you think, could Vancouver support a WNBA team? Let us know in the comments.
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