Who are the owners of Philly’s new WNBA team? It’s more than just Josh Harris and the Sixers.
Philadelphia will welcome a new WNBA team, which will be owned and operated by the same group that owns the Sixers.
Philadelphia will be the home to one of the newest WNBA franchises.
As part of a rapid expansion to get the league up to 18 teams, Philadelphia was announced as one of the three cities to get a WNBA team over the next five years. Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029), and Philly (2030) are the most recent teams to join the Golden State Valkyries and Toronto Tempo, who will play their inaugural season in 2026.
But before the Philadelphia team can make its debut, there’s still a lot of work to be done. The team still needs a name, a practice facility, and an arena destination. The latter will be determined by whether the South Philadelphia sports complex’s new arena — the home of the Sixers and Flyers — will be completed in time. If not, the new team could play its first season at the Wells Fargo Center.
Most of these decisions will be made by the owner of the team: Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the same group that owns and operates the 76ers. Here’s everything you need to know about them …
Who are the owners?
HBSE was founded in 2017 by Josh Harris and David Blitzer. Harris already is quite familiar with the Philly sports scene after purchasing the Sixers from Comcast Spectator in 2011 for about $280 million.
Harris, a Penn graduate, has been criticized in the past for owning division rivals of the Eagles and the Flyers: the Washington Commanders and the New Jersey Devils — especially this past season, when the 60-year-old was seen cheering for the Commanders after they defeated the Eagles in Week 16.
Although Harris is the managing owner, there’s been a long list of contributing partners over the years — including Blitzer, the co-managing owner, Art Wrubel, Jason Levien, Martin Geller, David Heller, James Lassiter, Marc Leder, David Adelman, former Washington NFL coach Joe Gibbs, actors Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Handy Soetedjo, and Erick Thohir.
Fanatics CEO and Philadelphia native Michael Rubin previously was a limited partner with the Sixers but he sold his stake in 2022 because of conflicts of interest with Fanatics.
What does HBSE own?
The company owns several sports teams, including the Sixers, the Washington Commanders, the New Jersey Devils, the Delaware Blue Coats (NBA G League), and the Utica Comets (American Hockey League). It also invested in Joe Gibbs Racing, a professional stock car racing team founded by Gibbs. It owns a stake in the Premier League’s Crystal Palace as well.
The company also operates venues like the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and White Eagle Hall in Jersey City.
Arena history
When Harris bought the Sixers from Comcast Spectator in 2011, the deal did not include the Wells Fargo Center. For years, HBSE and Comcast, the Wells Fargo Center’s owner, discussed moving to a new arena when the Sixers’ lease expires in 2031.
Weeks after City Council approved an arena in Center City in December, Comcast and HBSE announced that they reached an agreement to build a new arena in the South Philadelphia sports complex, serving as the home for both the Sixers and the Flyers.
The new WNBA team could play its inaugural season in the new arena. If not, it will play in the Wells Fargo Center, which will be known as the Xfinity Mobile Arena starting in September.
Future partners?
With the announcement of the WNBA coming to Philadelphia, it wouldn’t be surprising if more people wanted to get involved with the franchise. Philadelphia hoops legend Dawn Staley has discussed having an ownership stake in an expansion team in the city.
“I don’t want to come back and coach, OK?” Staley said at a book launch event last month. “I want ownership.”
Now that it’s no longer a hypothetical situation, the five-time WNBA All-Star has some decisions to make. Staley has been an advocate for an expansion team to come to Philadelphia, but as the South Carolina women’s basketball coach, there may be some complications when it comes to owning a WNBA team.