Pittsburgh Studying Attempt To Land WNBA Expansion Team

PITTSBURGH, PA — It certainly isn't a slam dunk, but the city is considering making an attempt to have a new professional sports team in town.

The Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority on Thursday approved a $40,000 agreement with consultants CAA ICON to conduct a financial feasibility analysis for securing a WNBA expansion team.

The professional women's basketball league is enjoying a popularity boom thanks largely to the attention being paid to rookie phenoms Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. The pair recently played in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, which set a viewership record of 3.4 million viewers - up 305 percent from 2023, according to the Indianapolis Star.

The WNBA currently has 12 teams and will add a 13th next year in San Francisco that will be owned and operated by the NBA's Golden State Warriors. League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in April the league wants to bring in a 14th team for 2026 and expand to 16 teams by 2028.

Engelbert said the league is in potential expansion discussions with cities such as Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, Denver and Nashville. At the time, she did not mention Pittsburgh.