In October, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) granted an expansion team to the Golden State Warriors that will be located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The decision allows the league to incorporate a 13th team into its ranks, and it will be just the second WNBA organization in California, aside from the Los Angeles Sparks.
The WNBA, founded in 1997, is considered the highest level of competition in women’s professional basketball and is currently comprised of 12 teams. By expanding the league into the Bay Area, the WNBA has the opportunity to reach a high-market area that is extremely prideful in basketball, given recent successes from its organization’s affiliate, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are now the sixth National Basketball Association (NBA) team to have a WNBA organization. It allows the Bay Area community and avid basketball fans to support another franchise in a completely different way.
Junior Ainsley Gallagher, who plays on the varsity girls’ basketball team, is excited about the up-and-coming team and the opportunities it could bring.
“I’m pretty excited as I have never really watched the WNBA because we don’t have a team near us. But now that we’ll have this team here [in the Bay Area], I think I’ll start watching and become a fan,” Gallagher said.
The organization is expected to embody similar characteristics to its NBA counterpart, the Warriors. This way, long-time Warriors fans who have never had the chance or reason to root for a WNBA team now have the opportunity to expand their interest in the league and build upon the legacy that the Warriors have created. The team is expected to play at the Chase Center, which also serves as the home court for the Warriors and will attract local fans to games. Junior Julian Shayeb, a die-hard Warriors fan, looks forward to the experience of attending one of the WNBA games.
“It’s so fun watching sporting [events], so just being there for the experience with some friends or with some family enjoying a game would definitely be something that I’d be willing to do,” Shayeb said.
Women’s sports have been growing in popularity around the world and in the Bay Area. A basketball team at such a high-caliber league being added right into the city’s heart could only add to this. Gallagher really hopes that the expansion team will grow in popularity around the community, given the highly faithful basketball fans that live in the Bay Area and the upgrade in level of play it brings.
“[Given] how loyal the Warriors fanbase is, I think people will pay a lot more attention to the league. Even little kids come to watch our games, so I bet they will be even more inspired to watch the [professionals] compete,” Gallagher said.
This yet-to-be-named team is on-pace to commence its inaugural season in 2025. An expansion draft will form the roster, and is anticipated to shape the team’s identity. The franchise’s destiny will unfold as it navigates the Bay Area basketball landscape, serving as a potential conqueror of the league. The forthcoming season offers an opportunistic moment for devoted Warriors enthusiasts to rally behind a neighboring women’s organization and embrace the new sporting venture.
