TORONTO (AP) — The WNBA is reportedly heading to Toronto. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the women’s professional basketball league has awarded a franchise to the Kilmer Group. The reported deal would have Toronto’s WNBA team start playing in May 2026. The WNBA did not confirm the report. The league says “we continue to engage in productive conversations with interested ownership groups in a number of markets and the granting of any expansion teams requires a vote of the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors.” Larry Tanenbaum is the chairman and CEO of Kilmer Group and the chairman of the board for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. The group owns the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
WNBA franchise awarded to Toronto for 2026 season, according to media reports
Adam Hunger/AP
FILE - WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks before the WNBA basketball draft April 15, 2024, in New York. The WNBA will use league-wide charter flights for the first time this season, the league announced Thursday, May 9. The charters will begin at the start of the regular season. “We are thrilled to announce the launch of a full charter program as soon as practical for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, a testament to the continued growth of the WNBA,” Engelbert said in a statement. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
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