The WNBA is formally increasing to the Bay Section, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert introduced Thursday. The fresh crew, fasten with the Yellowish Environment Warriors, will tip off its season in 2025.

This would be the first occasion the league has added a fresh crew for the reason that Atlanta Dream in 2008. 

“The Bay Area is the perfect market for a WNBA team, and we are thrilled this opportunity has finally come to fruition,” Joe Lacob, Warriors co-executive chairman and CEO, mentioned in a observation. “We have been interested in a WNBA franchise for several years, due in part to the rich history of women’s basketball in the Bay Area, and believe now is the ideal time to execute that vision and build upon the legacy.”

The crew will play games on the Chase Middle in San Francisco, identical to their NBA counterpart. The WNBA crew’s headquarters can be on the similar facility in Oakland that the Warriors impaired for follow and as a entrance administrative center from 1997-2019.

The Warriors are actually the 6th NBA franchise to have a WNBA crew, becoming a member of the Indiana Pacers (Indiana Fever), Minnesota Timberwolves (Minnesota Lynx), Brooklyn Nets (Unutilized York Sovereignty,) Phoenix Suns (Phoenix Mercury) and Washington Wizards (Washington Mystics).

The WNBA has been discussing growth in sincerity for various years now, however there has in the past no longer been a lot in the best way of specifics — each in relation to timeline and site. Engelbert has in the past indicated a need so as to add a couple of groups, but it surely left-overs concealed if or when some other crew can be introduced. 

There were a couple of seasons — 2004-05, 2007 and 2009 — the place the league performed with an ordinary selection of groups, and the flow layout makes it conceivable for that to occur once more. The supremacy 8 groups put together the playoffs without reference to convention association, so there wouldn’t be a topic from that viewpoint if one convention had an excess crew. In fact, there are nonetheless 18 months till the 2025 season starts, so there’s occasion for a 2d crew to be introduced previous to after. 

At this level, additional main points in regards to the crew’s title and colour scheme, in addition to the growth draft, are nonetheless unknown.