'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
A Toronto expansion would mark the first Canadian team in the women's professional basketball league.
“Wait for it. Yes, I do know,” Chow said when asked about the speculation during an interview with CP24 on Friday. "Hopefully there will be good news soon. Just wait.”
In March, multiple reports suggested that Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum was pursuing a franchise through his separate holding company Kilmer Group.
CTV News did reach out to the Kilmer Group for comment on Friday but was told by a spokesperson that there was “no update at this time.”
A Toronto WNBA franchise would be the league’s 14th team after an expansion into California’s Bay Area via the Golden State Warriors in October. That team is scheduled to start playing next year.
Back in 2023, the WNBA hosted a sold out pre-season game at Scotiabank Arena. At that time, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert had teased that Toronto could potentially host a team in the future.
In an statement issued to CTV News Toronto on Friday, the WNBA remained tight-lipped on the reported expansion.
“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,” a spokesperson for the league said.
Raptors star Scottie Barnes did take to Instagram to share a report about the WNBA’s potential arrival in Toronto on Friday. In the post, Barnes said “Let’s goooo!”
Speaking to CP24, TSN’s Kayla Grey said the introduction of a WNBA team in Toronto is not only good for business, but also for representation.
“No longer is it going to be a conversation of ‘just a hobby,’ like this is the real deal,” she said.
“You can make a career out of this – a professional career out of this – as well. For young boys and girls who look at people out there [on the court] that are just excelling and performing at the levels in which they have been. I think this is going to be so inspiring and we're going to have many more Canadian teams.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW This Canadian scientist combines passion for history, archeology and genetics to solve ancient and modern-day DNA puzzles
Turi King takes pride in her work solving ancient and modern-day DNA puzzles – including a centuries-old mystery involving an infamous British king.
Do this once a month and extend your life by up to 10 years. No gym required
Research shows that art experiences, whether as a maker or a beholder, transform our biology by rewiring our brains and triggering the release of neurochemicals, hormones and endorphins.
Oilers advance to Stanley Cup final by beating Stars in Game 6
The Edmonton Oilers rode their special teams and goaltender to victory on Sunday, beating the Dallas Stars 2-1 to win the National Hockey League's Western Conference and earn a berth in the Stanley Cup final against the Florida Panthers.
Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as its first woman president
Mexico's projected presidential winner Claudia Sheinbaum will become the first woman president in the country's 200-year history.
Bathroom break nearly derails $22-million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
Mackenzie Hughes 'gutted' after falling short at RBC Canadian Open
Mackenzie Hughes had the dream scenario of winning the RBC Canadian Open in his hometown within reach but then it all slipped away.
Motorcycle doing wheelies, weaving in, out of traffic caught on Highway 417
A motorcycle driver is facing charges after being caught on Highway 417 doing wheelies and weaving in and out of traffic, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says.
'Rotten rock': Climate change altering the face of Canadian mountaineering
The Abbot Pass hut stood for decades in a rugged saddle between two iconic peaks, overlooking the limpid turquoise of Banff National Park's Lake Louise — a destination for alpinists from around the world until the ground melted beneath it and forced its closure.
North Korea says it will stop sending trash balloons as South Korea vows strong retaliation
South Korea said Sunday it’ll soon take retaliatory steps against North Korea over its launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border and other provocations.