Fans cheer at the start of the first game between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty in a WNBA basketball playoff series at Michelob Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay on Sunday, October 8, 2023. STEVE MARCUS
Sunday October 8, 2023 | 8:18 p.m.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert joked Sunday that she’ll have to get new shoes now that the league has added an expansion team, and that another will likely be on the way soon.
Engelbert is wearing a pair of high heels with all the WNBA team logos on them. The shoes will become a collectible in 2025 when the expansion team owned by the Golden State Warriors starts playing. Engelbert hopes to add another franchise to give the league 14 teams that year.
“The goal is to add a second team, or a 14th team, by 2025,” Engelbert said before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. “No more before 25 but obviously in the longer term. I said my goal was to have this league, you know, additional teams and additional cities that we thought would be great. Many cities are interested, that’s why we haven’t announced the 14th team yet.
Engelbert mentioned a few cities, including Denver; Philadelphia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Nashville, Tenn.; and Portland, Oregon, which is considered a favorite. Portland had a WNBA team from 2000 to 2002, playing its games at the Rose Garden before the franchise folded. There has been a strong women’s basketball fan base in the state in recent seasons with the success of Oregon and Oregon State at the college level.
The city also has a large women’s sports presence with the NWSL’s Thorns, who won the league title last year and three overall. Portland also has Sports Bra – the first sports bar dedicated to women’s sports – where Engelbert participated in a panel discussion on the WNBA earlier this year.
Other topics addressed by the commissioner:
HAMBY COMPLAINT
Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby filed a complaint for gender discrimination last month against the WNBA and Las Vegas Aces, claiming that her former team and coach, Becky Hammon, retaliated against her after she informed them of her pregnancy.
The league investigated the initial complaint during the offseason and suspended Hammon for two games.
Engelbert said she “wasn’t going to comment on too many details because this is obviously ongoing litigation at this point with the (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).” Obviously, we will cooperate fully, we will see if there is any new information that we did not have at the initial time, and I will first let the lawyers do the work before commenting on whether we would do anything or after. that.”
POSITIVE FIGURES
The WNBA once again posted strong statistics, with the league having its most-watched regular season in 21 years and its highest average attendance since 2018.
Audiences increased by 21% compared to last year across all partner national TV channels, and the league average attendance of 6,615 fans was the highest since the 2018 season.
The league expanded its schedule, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic year, from 34 games in 2010 to 40 this season, which allowed the WNBA to reach its highest total attendance in 13 years (1,587,488) . “We had an incredible season with many milestones,” Engelbert said. “Historic figures, not only on the ground, but also in terms of audience, attendance and digital engagement.”
