It has just never been the right time. Regular-season record: 48-48 The presentation will show that Nashville has the infrastructure to support a team. The franchise took momentum with them to Texas, having had winning records in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and making the playoffs in their last two seasons in Utah. However, nothing can be officially signed until Feb. 1, when the . High point: The Mystics and Delle Donne overcoming her back injury and a tough Connecticut team to win the 2019 WNBA Finals. Face of the franchise: Liz Cambage (2011-13) Theprivate equity firmalsobought just under 5%of the Golden State Warriorsat a$5.5 billion valuation in April, thehigh-water markfor a minority stake and 17% above our last estimate. Oregon has a great track record of embracing and promoting womens sports in an authentic and meaningful way, and it is no surprise to us that there may be interest in bringing a WNBA team to the market.. Portland has shown consistently that were at the top of the list in supporting womens franchises and events, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. MVPs: None Championships: One (2005) Fawknotson remains optimistic about Nashvilles chances for WNBAexpansion. Additional research by Justin Teitelbaum. Today, all but two teams are making a profit. Low point: An 8-26 final season in San Antonio in 2017, when it was clear the Spurs ownership group had completely lost interest in the Stars. (Click here for our full list of values and additional information on every team.). Championships: None The main ranking criteria are success and standout players, although franchise longevity played a factor, too. He came back to New York for one final season in 2009 before announcing his retirement. Playoff appearances (record): 16 (32-25) She has also played in WCBA and Turkish League. Engelbert wouldnt confirm the expansion value, but she told The Athletic that fee sounds low, based on recent transactions and revenue multiples average revenue of a WNBA franchise if you take it on a multiple it would be higher than what you described. A second league source seconded Engelberts point. Mike Alter - $1.2 Billion. High point: Winning the franchise's fourth title in 2020 during a pandemic-shortened season in an unprecedented "bubble" location in Florida. Delle Donne day-to-day, sits out Mystics' win Sat. The NBA's Most Valuable Teams 2021-22: New York Knicks Lead A Trio Now Worth Over $5 Billion Each. She was also named one of the WNBA's top 20 players as part of the . Originally part of the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics organization, the Storm franchise was bought by a Seattle-based, all-women ownership group, Force 10 Hoops, in 2008 to keep the WNBA team in place when the NBA team moved to Oklahoma. Earvin "Magic" Johnson - $620 Million. Face of the franchise: Arike Ogunbowale (2019-present) Championships: Four (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020) MVPs: Nneka Ogwumike (2016), Candace Parker (2008, 2013), Lisa Leslie (2001, 2004, 2006) WNBA career stats leaders: Lisa Leslie in defensive rating (88.43) Get in touch with us now. Delle Donne, wanting to be closer to her Delaware home, pushed for a trade to Washington after the 2016 season and has won a title with the Mystics. Low point: Diggins-Smith insisting on a trade before the 2020 season, a year after Cambage had done the same thing. WNBA career stats leaders: Tamika Catchings in win shares (93.66), defensive win shares (36.52), steals (1,074) and steals per game (2.35) Elena Delle Donne - $221,450. One thing the league did want was to make sure the Toronto team was more than majority Canadian owned, and we didnt get some overseas money or anything weird like that, Abrahams said. Here is what every team in the NBA is worth in 2021, according to Sportico: Nick Monroe/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports, Carmen Mandato/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports, Sign up for the The Rookie Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Playoff appearances (record): 15 (27-36) Other notable stars: Rebekkah Brunson, Napheesa Collier, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Katie Smith, Lindsay Whalen. Face of the franchise: Elena Delle Donne (2017-present) The W.N.B.A. Low point: The sale of the franchise to Tulsa, which was a re-set with new ownership, new staff and none of the stars from Detroit. And were also looking at our current WNBA franchise cities and comparing what lessons weve learned and whats worked and not worked over the last 25 years. According to people intimately familiar with these deals who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the implied enterprise value Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez will pay for a controlling interest in the Minnesota Timberwolves is $1.6 billion, with the deal expected to happen in three tranches by the end of 2023. Were definitely looking to significantly enhance the financial performance of many of our teams, but many of our teams are still in big investment mode, she said. High point: Reaching the 2013 WNBA Finals -- for the third time in four years -- despite a .500 regular-season record. But it hasn't always been a 12 team league. After reading about how he increased his father's fortune from $750 million to an estimated $6-7 billion, I suppose you wouldn't expect anything less from him. Even if 76ers ownership were to get involved, they do not control dates at the building. Shortly after losing out on that relocation bid, New Media Sports & Entertainment began putting together another bid this time for an expansion team. Bonner, Delle Donne and Diggins-Smith all . That history is ancient history, she said. Meanwhile the average overall WNBA ticket price is $47 on SeatGeek. But Davis has been very involved, so the change seems positive for the future. The lowest of . For example, if a game draws low ratings, then no money will be made on that game. 1 pick in the 1998 draft, she was a fan favorite in five seasons in Utah and the rest of her career in San Antonio, Connecticut and Los Angeles. Now, Beard is the frontwoman for the African American Sports & Entertainment Group, a collective trying to bring a franchise to Oakland, with local entrepreneurs like Ray Bobbitt and NBA super-agent Bill Duffy on board and Loop Capital as a financing partner. That brought young post players Charli Collier, 21, and Awak Kuier, 20, who could blossom. Low point: Failing to follow up their postseason breakthrough, going 13-19 in 2001. Playoff appearances (record): Six (8-14) Dolan put the Liberty on the market in 2017, and Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai bought them in 2019. having both surpassed the $4 billion mark for the first time this year. It is the fourth-largest media market in the country and the biggest one in which the WNBAdoes not already have a team. Franchise journey: The Sky launched in 2006 and for two seasons had two superstars who were both No. The Birch family also has interests in MLB's Chicago Cubs and MLS' Chicago Fire. Low point: Losing the 2012 Eastern finals to Indiana, after which coach Mike Thibault was fired and went to Washington. As popular as the Liberty have been with their fans, they never seemed to mean as much to James Dolan, even though he owned them from their inception. The "Air Jordan" became the face of the franchise when he joined them as a rookie in 1989 and remained with the team until 2003. Low point: Going 12-22 in 2014 and missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. Engelbert has said the money will go toward investments in marketing and consumer digital products, among other necessary improvements. In all but one case -- Tulsa to Dallas -- the ownership was different when the franchise moved, and in all cases the teams have had distinct identities. The current salary cap for the NBA is about $75 million US dollars; this limit is set by each team in order to maintain financial stability. We have all the money here in market in Toronto accessible.. The Mystics, who came into the WNBA with Detroit in the first wave of expansion in 1998, had 12 coaches in their first 15 seasons, changing leadership during a season four different times. Hammon is still in San Antonio, as a Spurs assistant. That's when Sparks LA Sports, which included Laker legend Magic Johnson, stepped in to buy the team. High point: Stiles, on the heels of a magical run to the Final Four with Missouri State, winning WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2001 -- yes, over Seattle's Lauren Jackson, which really shouldn't have happened. But there was always a fascination league-wide with Dydek, the tallest woman to play in the WNBA at 7-foot-2. WNBA career stats leaders: Cynthia Cooper in scoring average (20.98), minutes per game average (35.19) and player efficiency rating (28.72) Regular-season record: 413-340 Also in September, the Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers inked patch deals reportedly worth $20 million and more than$10 million per year, respectively. If a team has any excess space on its roster, it can sign players to minimum contracts or trade them away. MVPs: None The WNBA raised $75 million from investors. High point: Finishing 16-16 in 2000 and making their only playoff appearance. MVPs: Breanna Stewart (2018), Lauren Jackson (2003, 2007, 2010) This makes them the most valuable franchise in all of sports. It moved to San Antonio after that season. The league . Other notable stars: Katie Douglas, Shannon Johnson, Elaine Powell, Nykesha Sales. With an ownership group already vetted by the NBA and their own arena, the Warriors loom as a strong option if the league decides to enter the fray to bring an expansion team to the Bay Area. Based out of Milwaukee, the Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. Nolan, Smith, Ford and McWilliams-Franklin, who were still with the Shock in 2009, never moved with the organization. The WNBA launched with eight NBA-affiliated teams in June 1997. How much is the Houston Astros franchise worth? The Tulsa Shock then moved before the 2016 season to Dallas to become the Wings. She died at age 37 in 2011 after suffering a cardiac arrest while pregnant with her third child. MVPs: None Low point: The Fever are in it now -- their fifth consecutive losing season. Regular-season record: 60-68 The Ducks peaked at the No. The latest ranking reported that the Golden State Warriors is the most . High point: Avenging a 2016 WNBA Finals loss to the Los Angeles Sparks by winning the 2017 Finals, also against L.A. And the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Starzz were in the Western Conference. Regular-season record: 422-390 People are right now investing in the potential of what it could be. Take, for example, the New York Knicks. A big name in men's basketball, he wasn't prepared to run a WNBA team. Low point: There hasn't been one, although the Aces were disappointed to be swept by Seattle in the 2020 Finals. Abrahams declined to specify which franchise, but the Dream were the only franchise available to buy in that window. Engelbert said that number does not account for the full value of the WNBA, only the league itself. Forbes' valuations are slightly more conservative than the ones issued by sports-business outlet Sportico last month Sportico's report featured an average team value of nearly $2.4 billion, with the Knicks, Warriors, and Lakers all . The WNBA was founded with only eight teams. Every team in the league is worth at least $1.5 billion, per Forbes' estimates. However, in nearly two decades since, a lot has changed as Oregon has become a burgeoning mecca for womens sports supporters. The fact that doesnt happen in the WNBA as quickly or freely makes it difficult to assess the market worth of a team; it can also confound potential buyers about how much they need to get into the league. Secondly, in order to get the players more money, we obviously need more revenue. Nashville has this reputation and has earned it well just looking at Major League Soccer, from moving from the bottom of the list to the top, Fawknotson said, referencing Nashville FC. Basically, everything that could go wrong did go wrong for six mostly downbeat seasons. By years end, a new location will be named and expansion projections will include expansion draft projections as the league prepares to welcome another market, a new team and even more talent. However, through the efforts of the owners and their partners, the WNBA has become a successful business venture. That growth has been steady during the playoffs and finals too, though not as steep the WNBAaveraged 346,000 viewers per playoffs and finals game in 2017, 258,000 in 2019, and 367,000 last season. The NBA, however, turns a profit of roughly $2.1B per year, which is what allows them to payout 50% of the league revenue to players. MVPs: None Meanwhile, Shock assistant Cheryl Reeve left to take over at Minnesota, starting a dynasty there. 1 pick. Local access to one or all of those companies could allow for a more fluid partnership between the businesses and players, potentially leading to endorsement deals that could help increase player pay outside of raising salaries through the collective bargaining agreement. The initial plan was to have 12 teams with an average attendance of 5,000 fans per game. Franchise journey: The Mercury seem to have had the most ownership stability of any WNBA franchise. The average salary this season for a WNBA player is $120,648. Browns interest has support from the city and from the NBA team. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 2002 Fleer Authentix WNBA brought the concept of serial-numbered Rookie Cards to the league with each getting 2,002 copies. (Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images), Warriors majority owner Joe Jacob has interest in bringing a WNBA team to San Francisco. But with an abundance of talent, increased womens basketball television viewership and college players rising notoriety with new Name, Image, Likeness legislation, expansion is finally again on the horizon. High point: Weatherspoon swishing a heave from just beyond half court to win Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals 68-67. League sources said the Liberty were sold with little new money changing hands and new owner Joe Tsai financing the transaction mostly by taking on debt, as well as stipulating fresh capital for MSG Sports if the Liberty hit certain revenue thresholds. Playoff appearances (record): Seven (8-18) Said Abrahams: They know weve done our financial model, they know whos involved with our group. Regular-season record: 71-113 Those new teams could begin to play as early as the 2024 season, she said. We have a process that were following, and were excited to get to the next steps on this, Engelbert said. Tulsa went 7-38 under Richardson, who resigned 11 games into his second season. Well just continue to broaden the exposure for these players so that we can get this expansion done in the future., (Illustration: Wes McCabe / The Athletic; Photos: Jennifer Pottheiser / NBAE via Getty Images; Patrick Gorski / NurPhoto via Getty Images; Justin Sullivan / Getty Images). Of 4,400 residents interviewed, 41.6 percent said they were very interested or extremely interested in womens professional sports, and 34.2 percent said they were slightly interested or not at all interested in womens professional sports. For example, a citys population, political affiliation and policies, and generational demographics will be factors, Engelbert said, as the league knows it already skews to young and female fans.