The Philadelphia 76ers do not share their city with a WNBA team right now, nor have they ever. But they hope to in the future as the league expands.
The 76ers Missing Puzzle is Complete?
Philadelphia is the largest city by population that does not currently have a WNBA team, save for Houston, which previously had a team and whose NBA team owner is working to bring one back. The City of Brotherly Love ranked sixth among cities in the United States by 2023 population but has not yet experienced WNBA action. The city, Mayor Cherelle Parker and the Sixers are eager to change that.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Tannenwald, Gina Mizell, and Anna Orso, the Sixers are indeed on board with the idea of bringing a WNBA team to the city and its new arena, which is scheduled to open for the 2031-32 NBA season.
“We share in Mayor Parker’s desire to bring a WNBA franchise to Philadelphia and have been engaged with the league on the process,” a 76ers spokesperson said to The Inquirer. “Our goal is for our new arena to serve as home to both the 76ers and a WNBA franchise.”
76ers aiming to bring WNBA team to Philadelphia
Parker shared new details about the Sixers' arena project and advocated for a WNBA team in the city on Wednesday. The team's lease at the Wells Fargo Center ends in 2031 and their new home, 76 Place at Market East, makes the most sense as a location for Philly's W squad, though it may not come to fruition in this current round of league expansion.
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“I know you've noticed we don’t have a WNBA team here in the city of Philadelphia,” the mayor said at the meeting. “Any of y’all ever noticed that? Y’all know y’all’s mayor don’t like that.”
Philadelphia has been listed as a possible destination for the league as it prepares to expand to San Francisco, Toronto, Portland and one other city by 2028. Unless the league pushes back its timeline or the Sixers bring in a team that inhabits the Wells Fargo Center for a few seasons — both are extremely unlikely to happen — Philly will have to wait for more expansion opportunities down the road.
With a new arena and a fervent fan base, Philadelphia should be a priority destination for the WNBA in the 2030s.
