Plans to bring a WNBA team to Portland have fallen through

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https://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/wnba-toronto-awarded-expansion-team-1.7198595

Women's professional basketball is coming to Toronto.

CBC Sports has learned that Kilmer Sports Inc., headed by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, has been granted an expansion franchise with the Women's National Basketball Association.

An announcement is expected May 23 in Toronto, with the team to begin play in May 2026, according to four people with knowledge of the deal but who are not authorized to speak about it.

Tanenbaum is a minority owner and chairman of sporting giant Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment which owns the Maple Leafs, Raptors, TFC, Argos and Marlies.

The 79-year-old originally pursued the expansion team through MLSE, but it was turned down by other members of the board.

 

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Tanenbaum, a favourite of both Stern and Silver, couldn't get past nepo-baby billionaire and MLSE board member Ed Rogers, meaning for the time being the WNBA team is disconnected from the Raptors.

 

[crandc]

Indiana Fever had among the worst attendance in the WNBA last year, barely 4000 a game. They sold 13,000 tickets to a preseason game this year.