WNBA awards expansion team to Golden State

The WNBA is expanding to the Bay Area with the Golden State Warriors organization announcing Thursday that a new franchise will join the league for the 2025 season.

The announcement brings the league up to 13 franchises and marks the first time a new team is joining the association since 2008.

"We are thrilled about expanding to the Bay Area and bringing the WNBA to a region with passionate basketball fans and a strong history of supporting women's basketball," said league commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

There have been discussions in recent years about the WNBA adding teams to the fold, and Engelbert said the league's goal is to add one more squad to the fold by 2025.

The league is reportedly nearing the decision to add a franchise in Portland, sources told The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov, Marcus Thompson II, and Shams Charania. Should the franchise come to fruition, it would be the league's second team to play in the city after the Portland Fire played from 2000 to 2002.

Speaking at the new franchise's opening press conference on Thursday, Warriors owner Joe Lacob gave a similar promise he shelled out when he first bought the NBA club.

"We will win a WNBA championship in the first five years of this franchise," proclaimed Lacob according to ESPN's Kendra Andrews.

On the hardwood, the WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty will tip off on Sunday.