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WNBA Makes Major Announcement for Philadelphia

The Philadelphia 76ers' ownership group is bringing a WNBA team to Philly.
Justin Grasso|
Jun 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; A Wilson official WNBA Evo NXT basketball with the Commissioner's Cup logo during the game between the Seattle Storm and the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jun 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; A Wilson official WNBA Evo NXT basketball with the Commissioner's Cup logo during the game between the Seattle Storm and the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t going to be the only professional basketball team in town for much longer, as the WNBA will make its way to the city.

The league made the announcement official on Monday; Philadelphia will be one of three markets to bring in a new team over the next five years.

“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement, per the AP.

“This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.”

The Sixers’ ownership group, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, will be bringing Philadelphia’s team to the league with hopes of debuting in 2030.

“We tell the city it’s going to open in 2031. We’re hoping for 2030,” Josh Harris told the AP. “So we’re trying to underpromise and overdeliver. But, right now it’s 2031, so that we have a year gap, you know. We’ve got the Xfinity Center, the Wells Fargo, they’ll play there.”

Currently, the Sixers are working on their plans for a new arena, in a joint deal with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers ownership group. Initially, the Sixers were expected to take their operation downtown, with the 76 Place Arena, and that was a project that attracted the WNBA to the market.

While 76 Place is no longer going to happen, a new arena will be built in South Philly. Soon, it will be home to the Sixers and the Philly-based WNBA franchise.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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