Billionaire Larry Tanenbaum is pursuing a WNBA expansion team for Toronto, CBC Sports has learned.
Tanenbaum, a minority owner and chairman of sporting giant Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment which owns the Maple Leafs, Raptors, TFC, Argos and Marlies, is seeking the team through his holding company, the Kilmer Group.
CBC Sports spoke with three people familiar with the deal who requested confidentiality as they are not authorized to speak publicly about it.
A source said Tanenbaum’s group is expected to meet with WNBA leadership to discuss the bid and an announcement could come as soon as May.
When reached Monday, a WNBA spokesperson said: “We continue to engage in productive conversations with interested ownership groups in a number of markets but have no news to report at this time.”
A spokesperson for the Kilmer Group provided a statement Tuesday morning: “Larry Tanenbaum has spent his career building and growing iconic sports franchises. He knows that Toronto has some of the greatest sports fans in the world and is always looking for opportunities to champion professional sports and deliver unrivalled fan experiences in the city he loves. Kilmer will not respond to speculation or provide further comment at this time.”
In May 2023, when Scotiabank Arena played host to a sold-out WNBA pre-season game, league commissioner Cathy Englebert said Toronto was on a shortlist of 10 cities the league was looking at for expansion.
But published reports said Edward Rogers, chairman of Rogers Communications who owns 37.5 per cent of MLSE, opposed the bid.
In October, the WNBA awarded its 13th franchise to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors for a reported $50 million US and planned to give one to a group in Portland as well before putting that bid on hold because of issues with its arena.
Englebert said then that the league’s “goal is to have a 14th team by 2025” and reiterated that discussions were still underway with several cities.
A source said Tanenbaum is looking at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Toronto’s Exhibition grounds as a possible venue. It is home to the Marlies of the American Hockey League with a capacity of about 8,000.
The source said he is considering building a practice facility there that could also serve as a training centre for the men’s and women’s national teams.
Toronto hosted a sellout crowd this weekend for a WNBA exhibition game between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky. About That producer Lauren Bird and Sportsnet’s Savanna Hamilton reflect on the game and what it means for the future of pro women’s basketball in Canada.
Michael Bartlett, president of Basketball Canada, welcomed the potential of a women’s team and said it could only help open up the sport in Canada.
“Two specific things would help strengthen women’s basketball in Canada,” Bartlett said. “A domestic league for women, and then a professional WNBA team that would have the same lightning rod effect as the Raptors did.”
It is expected that former MLSE executive Teresa Resch will be involved with the new franchise. She recently left her role as the Raptors’ vice-president of operations and player development.
