In a Recent Questions and Answers with Milwaukee Bucks governor and co-owner Wes Edens, beaten writer Jim Owczarski had the opportunity to sit down with Edens and discuss an offer submitted by part of the team’s ownership group to bringing a WNBA expansion franchise to the city.
Although there is no timetable for a decision according to the Sports Affairs Journalthe WNBA would consider proposals from Philadelphia, Austin, Kansas City, Miami, Central Florida, Nashville, Charlotte, Denver and possibly Cleveland.
Milwaukee has a history of women’s basketball dating back to 1979-80 with the Does in the Women’s Professional Basketball League. The Milwaukee Aces were also formed in 2014 as a semi-professional team under the leadership of women’s basketball pioneer Bernell Hooker.
Although Edens was not included in the Bucks ownership group’s offer, he explained why it was important for the organization to support a professional women’s basketball team in Milwaukee.
Here’s what Edens had to say about a possible WNBA franchise coming to the city:
“The WNBA is a remarkable story and it has undergone a true renaissance and emergence in recent years,” Edens said. “They had a record audience. The (finals) – Game 3 It was one of the most exciting basketball games I have ever seen, forget about a men’s or women’s team. It’s an excellent product. There’s so much excitement about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese and these really, really talented players coming out of college.
“It’s an exciting time for the sport and if the circumstances were right, I would love to have the team here in town and possibly be a part of it. It’s a really, really great time for basketball female.”
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This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks’ Wes Edens discusses bid to bring WNBA franchise to Milwaukee