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WNBA will not announce expansion plans by the end of the year, league looking at 10 ownership groups

By Chris Cwik, Yahoo Sports

New York Liberty v Las Vegas Aces PALMETTO, FLORIDA - AUGUST 29: A basketball sits near the WNBA logo during a timeout of a game between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty at Feld Entertainment Center on August 29, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

By Chris Cwik, Yahoo Sports

The WNBA expansion process is taking a little longer than expected. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Athletic the league would not announce a new expansion site by the end of the year.

Engelbert said in September she would love to make an expansion announcement by the end of 2022. The league, however, is still in the process of gathering information. Engelbert said she doesn't consider this a delay, per The Athletic.

"Look, if someone called me tomorrow and said, 'Here's a check, and we're ready to go. And we have the financial model ready. And here's our corporate sponsors, and we already have thousands of season ticket holders; can we get it done for '24?' Yeah," she said. "But I'm just trying to be more realistic. And I probably said that eight (to) 12 months ago and, again, COVID put us totally behind on all of this. I think we'd be in a better position. We raised the capital in February, that we're now deploying on the transformation and growing the league. I wouldn't call it a delay."

Engelbert said the league received "a ton of interest" from cities, more than she originally expected. She added that the league is considering 10 ownership groups. She mentioned that same number in September.

The league anticipates the expansion team won't be ready to play until 2025 at the earliest. Once the team starts playing, it will mark the first time since 2008 — the Atlanta Dream's first season — that a new team joined the WNBA.

Multiple cities are vying to land a WNBA team

The WNBA should have some tough choices to make when the time comes to pick an expansion site. A number of cities — including Oakland and Toronto — have expressed excitement over the possibility of adding a team. Drake — a notable Toronto native — has pushed hard for Toronto to get a team. Other cities in the running reportedly include Columbia, Nashville, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The WNBPA is also excited about the possibility of expansion. In January, the group hinted at wanting multiple expansion teams, not so subtly suggesting the Bay Area, Nashville and Toronto as possible sites.

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