The Bay Area could host another professional basketball team in the future.
Athletic Marcus Thompson II reported Tuesday, citing sources, that the Warriors are “close to bringing a WNBA franchise to the Bay.”
Thompson also reported that the deal has not been completed, but if it is, the team will be based in Oakland at the Warriors’ practice facility and play at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Bay Area last had a professional women’s basketball team in 1996 when the San Jose Lasers — owned by current Warriors owner Joe Lacob — played in the American Basketball League. The ABL folded in 1998 while the WNBA took off.
The WNBA currently has 12 teams located in Atlanta, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Indiana, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York, Phoenix, Seattle and Washington (DC). WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said earlier this year that the league wants to add two teams by 2025.
The Warriors, recently estimated to be worth more than $7 billion, certainly have the ability to support and grow alongside the Bay’s professional women’s basketball team.