The Toronto WNBA team is a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The team is scheduled to begin play in 2026 as a member of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). They will play in the Coca-Cola Coliseum starting in 2026. It will be the first WNBA team located outside of the United States and the first located in Canada.
| Toronto WNBA team | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | WNBA |
| Founded | 2026 |
| History | Toronto WNBA Team 2026–future |
| Arena | Coca-Cola Coliseum |
| Capacity | 8,500 |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| President | Teresa Resch |
| Ownership | Larry Tanenbaum (via Kilmer Sports Ventures) |
| Website | www |
History
editIn May 2023, the WNBA held a preseason exhibition game between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto; the sellout crowd and accompanying enthusiasm led to speculation on whether the city could host a women's team alongside the existing men's Toronto Raptors.[1]
On 10 May 2024, reports emerged that the WNBA and Kilmer Group were negotiating for a Toronto-based expansion franchise.[2][3] The WNBA officially announced the creation of the franchise on May 23.[4][5] The team will become the 14th in the WNBA and the first to be based outside the United States. The team will be owned by Kilmer Sports Ventures, led by Toronto-based billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, who paid an expansion fee of $50 million USD for the franchise.[6] Tanenbaum is a minority owner and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which owns fellow professional Toronto sports teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors.[3] Tanenbaum originally pursued the WNBA venture through MLSE, though other members of the board turned it down.[2] CBC.ca reported a source stating the WNBA expansion franchise is expected to play at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, an 8,500-seat arena at Exhibition Place that has hosted most Toronto Marlies AHL games since 2005.[2][7][8]
When approving the team, the WNBA board of governors voted 13–0 and the NBA board of governors voted 29-1, with only the New York Knicks voting against the expansion; at the time, the Knicks were in the process of suing the Toronto Raptors due to "alleged theft of proprietary information".[4]
References
edit- ^ Dichter, Myles (13 May 2023). "'Toronto wants WNBA': First-ever game in Canada shows viability of expansion to Toronto". CBC Sports. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Ahmed, Shireen (10 May 2024). "Toronto awarded WNBA expansion team to begin play in 2026". CBC.ca. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Toronto expansion team to join WNBA in 2026, per reports". ESPN. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Toronto awarded WNBA's 1st team outside U.S., to play in '26". ESPN. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "WNBA Expands to Canada with Toronto Selected as the League's 14th Team" (Press release). Women's National Basketball Association. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "Edward Rogers argued against a Toronto WNBA franchise — but Tanenbaum went ahead and got one. Who was right?". Toronto Star. 2024-05-31. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ "WNBA Expands to Canada with Toronto Selected as the League's 14th Team". Women's National Basketball Association. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ "Promoter Guide" (PDF). coca-colacoliseum.com. Retrieved 10 May 2024.