WNBA Has Awarded Toronto An Expansion Team, Will Begin Play….

The WNBA is officially coming to Toronto.

For good this time.

CBC Sports reported on Friday morning that Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, via the holding company Kilmer Sports Inc. has been granted an expansion franchise by the WNBA.

According to the report, an official announcement is set for May 23rd and the team is expected to begin playing in May of 2026 at Coca-Cola Coliseum, an 8,000-seat arena that is also home to Toronto’s Professional Women’s Hockey League franchise and the Toronto Marlies.

Toronto will be the 14th team in the WNBA, following the recently expanded San Francisco team that is set to begin playing next season.

Tanenbaum is currently a stakeholder in Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs (among other sports entities) but has recently begun embarking on his own sports ventures with Kilmer Sports Inc., hiring both European Soccer executive Ivan Gazidis and Teresa Rech, the former Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Raptors to lead the company.

And now, they have a team and a franchise to build.

This report comes after a few major breakthroughs in professional women’s basketball:

MORE FOR YOU
Samsung Issues Critical Update For Millions Of Galaxy Users

The Best Queen Mattresses That Promote More Restful Nights

Vasiliy Lomachenko Vs. George Kambosos Jr: Date, Time And How To Watch

The WNBA recently reported it will commit $50 million over the next two years to ensure full-time chartered flights for all of its teams, making traveling and safety a priority in the rapidly growing league.
Shattering viewership records: The 2024 WNBA draft drew over 2.45 million viewers, making it the most-watched draft in league history. Viewership in general has skyrocketed as of late, with the 2023 season breaking records in TV viewership and social engagement.
The WNBA sold out two exhibition games in Canada in the past two years: Selling out Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena in 2023 and selling over 16,000 tickets in Edmonton just this past month.
Viewership of the WNBA in Canada has risen as of late: The 2023 opening weekend of the league saw a 325% increase in viewership across Canada as well as a year-by-year increase of over 35% worldwide.
A Nielson Study in 2020 reported that interest in the WNBA increased by 31% and 76% of adults agreed that women’s sports is on the rise.

And maybe most importantly, a name for the team.

Many have brought up the idea of bringing back the Toronto Huskies, the name of the city’s very first NBA team. Some may want the women’s team to create their own identity.

Nonetheless, professional women’s basketball is headed north of the border.

This is another massive step in the right direction for the growth of the game. And a huge moment for Canadian Basketball.

PRAGUE, Czechia — Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares has been added to the Canadian roster at the world men’s hockey championship, Hockey Canada announced Friday.

PRAGUE, Czechia — Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares has been added to the Canadian roster at the world men’s hockey championship, Hockey Canada announced Friday.

Tavares became available after the Leafs were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It will be the fourth time Tavares has suited up for Canada at the world championship, but the first since 2012.

The 33-year-old has helped Canada win gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2008 and 2009 world junior hockey championships.