The WNBA is playing its hand well right now by adding to additional expansion goals. It should be highlighted that the three new cities are all cities that have NBA teams and the majority owners are the owners of the NBA teams themselves.
2028: CLEVELAND Majority ownership group: Dan Gilbert, who owns the Cleveland Cavaliers Where they'll play: Rocket Arena, home of the Cavaliers Practice facility: Retrofit a facility in Independence, Ohio, that is currently used by the Cavaliers
2029: DETROIT Majority ownership group: Tom Gores, who owns the Detroit Pistons Minority owners: Grant Hill, Chris Webber, Jared Goff Where they'll play: Little Caesars Arena, home of the Pistons Practice facility: Building a new facility
2030: PHILADELPHIA Majority ownership group: Josh Harris, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers Where they'll play: A new arena being built in downtown Philadelphia Practice facility: The 76ers have a practice facility in Camden, New Jersey
The cities that failed to land a WNBA team include St. Louis; Kansas City, Missouri; Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Houston; Miami; Denver and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Houston failing to secure a team was very surprising to me because when the WNBA was created and launched it was the Houston Comets that were taking over the league winning the first 4 Championships. The Team had a failed sale in 2008 leading to the league taking over and folding the team but I am surprised Tilman failed to convince the WNBA. Given LSU, A&M, and others huge presence in the city.