WNBA, Warriors Announce Expansion Team in Bay Area

The franchise will likely be known as “Golden State,” with a team name still be determined.

The Warriors have been one of the most successful NBA teams of the past decade, winning four championships during the past nine seasons. In 2025, the organization intends for a new WNBA franchise to achieve that same level of success.

On Thursday, the WNBA officially announced that a Bay Area expansion franchise will take the court for the 2025 season. 

Golden State chairman Joe Lacob said he intends for the Bay Area’s WNBA team to be as successful as the Warriors, who have won four NBA championships in the past nine seasons. 

“We’re coming in here, number one, to win,” Lacob said to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. “Number two, we want to see this league and women’s basketball grow, and we hope to be a big part of it.” 

The Warriors ranked No. 1 in Forbes‘s 2022 NBA franchise valuations, so when ownership says it intends to use all of its resources to lift the WNBA team to success, that could be a considerable advantage. 

It’s official. We’re expanding.

Tune in at 1pm EST/10am PST on X and the WNBA App to watch live remarks from @CathyEngelbert and @wnbagoldenstate pic.twitter.com/l7UiUT7kA3

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 5, 2023

“I believe we’ll have the No. 1 revenue of any WNBA team,” Lacob added. “And I think we can do very, very well as a business because we know how to do this. We have all the facilities, and we can bring sponsor dollars to the team and ultimately to the league that will help the league in a big way.” 

According to Lacob, the new WNBA franchise will likely be known as “Golden State” to represent the entire Bay Area, as is the case with the Warriors. However, the team name is still to be determined. Games will be played at San Francisco’s Chase Center, where the Warriors play their home games, but the team will train in Oakland. 

The Athletic reports that Portland is being strongly considered for another WNBA expansion franchise.