Live updates: Reaction to Philly landing WNBA team; Dawn Staley could join ownership group; latest news

As Jen Leary watched the name “Philadelphia” appear behind WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s press conference this morning announcing the city would have a professional women’s basketball team, she said the moment felt surreal and emotional.

“I’m so happy for the city. I’m so happy for the league,” she said. Leary, 47, is the founder of Watch Party Philly, a queer-run initiative to build community around women’s sports, and a former defensive back for the National Women’s Football Association’s Liberty Belles who won the league’s 2001 championship. Watch Party, which is fundraising to open a women’s sports bar in Philly by next summer, has organized large watch parties for women sports games since launching a year and a half ago. Leary said their popularity and diverse array of attendees makes her confident that there’s a large, passionate fanbase ready to support a new WNBA franchise.

“Families, we get lots of small kids. We have men, women, straight, gay, Black, white, old and young. We really do get the whole spectrum because everyone watches women’s sports. And especially in this city, we’re ride or die for our sports teams,” she said.

Philadelphia is home to a rich women's hoops heritage, from former Temple standout and current South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley to Hall of Fame LA Sparks center Lisa Leslie. And UConn women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma, the NCAA wins leader, grew up in Norristown.

But Temple University women's basketball head coach Diane Richardson credits the current generation of stars — led by point guard Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever — for raising the league's profile and potentially paving the way for new franchises to succeed.

"They have definitely increased awareness of women's basketball," said Richardson, the adopted mother of center Jonquel Jones of the champion New York Liberty. "And we're certainly grateful for that."

The most famous person not at the WNBA's expansion announcement Monday morning was no doubt Dawn Staley.

For years, the North Philadelphia native has lobbied more than almost anyone to bring a WNBA team to her hometown. Though she shouted her joy on social media, her absence from the event seemed to be a sign that she isn't directly involved yet.

But that doesn't mean she won't be. 76ers principal owner Josh Harris couldn't have been surprised to be asked about that, and he opened the door wide.

Emma Mooney and Austin Chang, of Old City, said they think the team is a great step forward for Philadelphia.

“It’s definitely a positive thing for the city,” Mooney said.

“It’s been getting more popular with [Caitlin] Clark and all that,” Chang added. “It’s really great that the city is getting it.”

It feels like Caitlin Clark is finally coming to Philadelphia. At least, the tangential ripple from the Caitlin Clark tidal wave is roaring up the Delaware River.

After 28 years, the WNBA finally has committed to launch an expansion team in Philadelphia that will begin play in 2030, thanks to a bid by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the 76ers’ parent group.

The league also will expand to Cleveland in 2028 and Detroit in 2029, it also announced, making Philadelphia the league’s 18th team and its sixth addition in the past two years. Thanks, Caitlin.

The Philly WNBA team won’t take the court until 2030, but former Villanova star Maddy Siegrist is “super excited” about the team making its debut.

“Expansion is great for our game and has been a long time coming,” said Siegrist, who plays for the Dallas Wings. “Obviously playing at Villanova, to have a team come to Philadelphia will be very exciting. I think the city will embrace the team and I look forward to it.”

Siegrist, still Villanova’s all-time leading women’s basketball scorer, said she thinks the players will embrace Philadelphia right back, and it could become an in-demand free agent destination.

The WNBA has played since 1997, and over the past 28 seasons fans have wondered why it has taken so long for Philadelphia to land a franchise.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, a South Jersey native whose father is in the Big Five Hall of Fame, said they raised capital in February 2022 and have been working to get to the point where the value was there for new franchises in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Detroit.

Englebert also said there’s now enough talent in the women’s basketball world to make the expansion possible.

Josh Harris, the managing partner of the WNBA’s new Philadelphia team, said bringing women’s basketball to the city “wasn’t just a nice to have, it was an obligation.”

“Philadelphia is a city that is about sports and basketball in particular, including generations of extraordinary women's basketball talent, athletes who have shaped the game and inspired countless others,” Harris told reporters at a news conference Monday.

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which Harris co-founded alongside David Blitzer, also ownes the 76ers.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called the expansion into Philadelphia, Toronto, and Portland a “monumental day” in the league’s history.

“These are proud cities with powerful sports legacies, each one rich in basketball tradition and fueled by passionate fan bases,” Engelbert said at a news conference Monday morning. “This is far more than an expansion of our league, it’s an evolution.”

When Philly’s yet-to-be-named team takes the court in 2030, the WNBA will have expanded from 15 to 18 teams. The Golden State Valkyries are playing in their inaugural season this year. The Toronto Tempo and Cleveland will launch new franchises in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029.

Philly's new WNBA team isn't slated to take the court until the 2030 season.

The yet-to-be-named team will play at the sports complex’s new arena — which will also be home to the Sixers and NHL’s Flyers — that is scheduled to be completed in 2031.  

Managing partner Josh Harris told The Inquirer he hoped the construction timeline could be moved up to allow the WNBA team to play there during its inaugural season. If that is not possible, it will play at the Wells Fargo Center (which becomes Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sept. 1) in 2030. 

The WNBA has 13 teams playing in the 2025 season, with two more expected to launch in 2026 – the Toronto Tempo, and a Portland franchise that has not yet been named – bringing the league’s total to 15.

The league’s official announcement referred to the Philly franchise as the WNBA’s 18th team, alongside two additional expansion cities — a team returning to Cleveland in 2028 and a team in Detroit in 2029.

Here is a breakdown of the current teams: