The WNBA officially announced its expansion to Canada on Thursday morning. Toronto, selected as the league's 14th team, will begin play in 2026.

It's official. After months of speculation, Canada is officially the home of the latest WNBA expansion team. Although Toronto was chosen as the next WNBA city, team president Teresa Resch made a very clear statement.

"This isn't just Toronto's team. This is Canada's team."

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Thursday morning Toronto has been selected as the 14th team. The league's first international team, Toronto, is slated to begin its augural season in 2026. First reported by CBCSports Shireen Ahmed, the WNBA officially confirmed the news today.

“Bringing a WNBA team to Toronto represents an important milestone for our league as we continue to expand both domestically and outside the United States,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in an official press release.

The news doesn't come as a surprise. Along with the growth of women's basketball have come increased opportunities. In addition to charter flights, the league is continuing to broaden. While the 2024 rookie draft class is special, the rise of the WNBA has been well-documented for some time. The latest team arrives on the heels of the successful 2023 season. With the exceptional talent continuing to pour in, the WNBA needs more roster spots. The addition of expansion teams will only resolve that issue. One of the most competitive leagues in sports, the league only has 144 spots, which makes it difficult to accommodate all of the talent. It essentially boils down to supply and demand.

We’re excited about the growth of the league. The WNBA’s 14th team has been granted to the city of Toronto!

: @WNBA pic.twitter.com/xN15fao5XM

— Ballislife Womens Basketball (@ballislifewbb_) May 23, 2024

In a league-wide presser, Engelbert addressed the roster spot issues. Often referring to her economic model, the Commissioner has strong plans to build beyond Toronto and Golden State. In fact, she's set a goal to create nearly 48 roster spots and four additional teams by 2028.

Entering a new era, the WNBA saw record-breaking viewership and attendance. With viewers up 21 percent from the 2022 season, the league saw attendance increase by nearly 16 percent. Now in its 27th season, the league is soaring.

Poised for takeoff, the WNBA has been steadily growing over time. With the 2024 season just underway, the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever's matchup drew 1.71 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA game ever broadcast on ABC.

Although the team does not have a name, according to Raptors sideline report Savanna Hamilton, WNBA team president Teresa Ranch is opening to suggestions. In fact, she hopes the logo can "represent everyone and women strongly."

You heard it here first

Commissioner Engelbert has officially announced our exciting expansion to the 6ix

Welcome to the W, @WNBA_Toronto pic.twitter.com/NC5wJopwAF

— WNBA (@WNBA) May 23, 2024

“With Larry Tanenbaum’s distinguished record of leading successful sports franchises and Toronto’s appeal as a dynamic, diverse city that cares deeply about the game of basketball, we are confident that this new team will thrive as a first-class WNBA organization and become a great source of inspiration and support for the Toronto-area community and across Canada," said Engelbert.

With the historic news, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was present, along with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, and Ontario Premier, Doug Ford.

Committed to growing the women's game, the team announced a new state-of-the-art training practice facility will be built. An issue in years past was that many players didn't even have names on their lockers. In addition to Toronto, Seattle and Las Vegas have invested heavily in their players with state of the art practice facilities. It's only a matter of time where every athlete get's the proper training and recovery centers in the league.

Women's sports is here, and it's only expected to rise. In fact, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has officially declared May 23 as WNBA Day in Toronto. After the arrival of Engelbert, the league has only been on the rise. Negotiating the CBA, adding charter flights, and expanding the league to two new cities- the future is bright for the WNBA. It may not be perfect, but changes are happening.

Fans who wish to buy season-tickets can do so by placing a deposit at WNBA.com/Toronto.  

Stay tuned for more related articles. Click here

Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter, Content Creator and Social Media Manager for Ballislife Bets. She has a focus on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane currently resides in Connecticut/NYC area with her Cat and Dog. SJ has her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in business administration.

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Jusfly was the 2012 champion as he beat out 2011 champion Kenny Dobbs. This time it was Jusfly's turn to try and reign as champion 2 years in a row vs the likes of Werm, Young Hollywood and Golden Child. Golden Child got hurt in warm ups but the remaining 3 guys put on quite a show for the crowd.

In the end Young Hollywood, previously seen all over ESPN with his double up over Blake Griffin, was not able to hit his go to double up over 6'11 Ryan Hollins and Jusfly was not able to complete a dunk in time in the finals vs Werm.

Congrats to Werm on being the 2013 Nike 3on3 Slam Dunk Champ! Werm's been having a pretty good year so far.  In June, he won the BET Sprite Dunk Experience contest at the BET Awards and the Washington DC Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown. He was also one of the stars of the Sprite Uncontainable Game that took place at NBA All-Star weekend.

2012 Nike 3on3 Contest

2011 Nike 3on3 Contest

2014 NIKE BASKETBALL 3ON3 TOURNAMENT

Click here to register your team for the Nike Basketball 3ON3 Tournament at L.A. Live on August 8-10th.  Enter BALLISLIFE to get $20 off the registration fee through 8/1!

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"Kevin Durant returned to LAUNFD and dropped 25 points and 12 boards to give LAUNFD the win even though the Raptors' Austin Daye responded with 30 points and 10 boards." via Grantland

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Check the dunk champ throwing down a sick 360 dunk last night against the Wolves.

The post Terrence Ross Sick 360 Dunk From Last Night! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Do you think the Grizzlies miss this? I think so.

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Kobe Bryant was as clutch as anyone has been in recent memory and he sealed it off with this game sealing dunk in OT.

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Check out Terrence Ross with another sick one hander, too bad there weren't any defenders in the way this time.

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Toronto might have the best dunkers in the NBA. DeMar, Terrence, Amir.

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Manu with incredible play from the double OT thriller earlier today.

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DeMar had a huge night tonight tying his career high of 37 points. He also had 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

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DeMar flying high for 2 of his 37 points.

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Kevin Durant with the nasty dunk as the Thunder roll to a easy victory over the Raptors.

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Check out Toronto Raptors' young star DeMar DeRozan putting in work this summer in various leagues and games. DeMar graced fans in LA with thunderous dunks and crowd pleasing plays all summer long while showing improvement and more confidence in his game.

The post 6'6" DeMar DeRozan Putting In WORK & Showing Out! 2011 Summer Mixtape! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.