Denver in Running to Add WNBA Team, What Would Relationship With Nuggets Look Like?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By JH Kubicek | Last updated Feb 13, 2025 5:48 PM ET

As the WNBA grows into a popular league across the country (and internationally), the Association has made it clear that it wants to expand its current group of 12 teams to 16 franchises. With it already announced that the Golden State Valkaries, Toronto Tempo, and Portland will all start playing in the next two years, they are still one team short of their goals.

If all goes to plan, Denver could host a women's team for the first time.

In a recent article by The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov and Ben Pickman (subscription required), Denver joined Austin, Detroit, Kansas City, Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston, Nashville, and Philadelphia as the most realistic landing spots for a 16th WNBA franchise.

Kansas City, Austin, and Nashville have never had a WNBA team and don't currently boast an NBA team, and Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, and Charlotte had their teams relocated in the past.

Realistically, a team will operate in a city that already has an established fanbase, so Denver makes sense. Plus, the WNBA is more popular among progressives, and Denver is about as blue as it gets.

Interestingly, Denver's bid is not sponsored by Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke. Instead, the group, led by Ashley Dimond, included plans for an arena in their bid, meaning the two teams wouldn't have as much interaction as other brother and sister teams.

The goal is for the 16th team to start playing in 2028, so there is still plenty of time before final bids need to be submitted and announced.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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