Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum recently announced his involvement in a multi-million dollar bid to bring a WNBA franchise to St. Louis, his hometown.
According to Sportico, Tatum has informally agreed to invest in the prospective franchise and is actively involved in the group’s efforts to attract additional investors and present a compelling case to the league. The ownership group spearheading this initiative includes billionaires Richard Chaifetz and David Hoffman.
As the WNBA’s popularity continues to grow, it is looking for more expansion opportunities. By 2026, the league will grow from 12 teams to 15. Eager to strengthen the league, commissioner Cathy Engelbert envisions that the WNBA could expand beyond the 15 planned franchises.
Per Front Office Sports, Englebert said she’d like to see the WNBA form a 16th franchise by the 2028 season. Additionally, Engelbert states that there are about a dozen potential destinations for an expansion team. Should St. Louis land a WNBA franchise, it would be the city’s fifth professional sports team. St. Louis already supports MLB, NHL, MLS and UFL franchises, proving to be one of America’s most prominent sports hubs.
While Tatum, joined by Chaifetz and Hoffman, aim to bring a WNBA franchise to the city, St. Louis would also be an ideal destination for an NBA expansion team. Like its WNBA counterpart, the NBA has begun internal discussions about league expansion. During the Paris Olympics, NBA commissioner Adam Silver noted that the board has begun discussing expansion, but the league won’t rush the process.
“There was not a lot of discussion in this meeting about expansion, but only largely because — not for lack of interest — it’s because we had said to [potential franchise suitors] that we’re not quite ready,” Silver told reporters.