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The WNBA is slated to expand to 18 teams by 2030. A group from Vancouver wants to be the 19th team in 2031. The Pacific Northwest already has the Portland Fire and Seattle Storm, but retired business executive Bill Bakk sees a path for the Canadian city, telling Front Office Sports, “We want to be ready.”

—Colin Salao

First Up

Can Vancouver Be the WNBA’s Next Market?

The WNBA has a robust expansion plan in place. The league went from 12 teams in 2024 to 15 teams this year—and will climb to 18 teams by 2030.

Since announcing three new teams last year, the league has not had any messaging about additional expansion. But that didn’t stop a Vancouver-based group from going public last week about its desire to build the WNBA’s 19th franchise.

The group, led by retired business executive Bill Bakk, said it has yet to submit a formal bid to the WNBA, but is hoping to solidify its plan this year or next. Under its current timeline, it projects to bring a team to Vancouver in 2031, which would be the year after the latest round of expansion ends with the return of a WNBA franchise to Detroit.

In an interview with Front Office Sports this week, Bakk and Deloitte managing partner Jodi Evans went into greater detail about their vision, adding that they are flexible on the timing of a new franchise based on the opportunity that opens up. Bakk said they are even open to the possibility of an existing team relocating to Vancouver.

“We want to be ready,” Bakk said. “You never know in the world of sports as to when franchises move. I know that’s not something that will probably happen here. But nevertheless, our standing line is we want to be ready for whatever reason in that period of time.”

A source familiar with the league’s decision-making says it has no further expansion plans beyond what has been announced. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in 2024 that she evaluated about a dozen cities before eventually announcing Cleveland (2028), Philadelphia (2029), and Detroit (2030). But since then, conversations around expansion have gone quiet, at least publicly.

However, Bakk says he’s spoken to numerous people “in the ecosystem of the WNBA,” including other team owners, who have reassured him that a Vancouver expansion team is feasible.

“Nothing along the way there says we’re crazy on our goals,” Bakk said. “There’s certainly a challenge. Nothing is formally announced. That’s O.K. with us.”

Read the rest here.

SPONSORED BY PGA TOUR

USA vs. International: Who Will Win the Cup?

World No. 1 and reigning FedExCup champion Scottie Scheffler leads the U.S. Team into the Presidents Cup against an International Team led by 12-time veteran Adam Scott. Will the International Team snap a 28-year winless streak and rekindle the magic of the 1998 Presidents Cup in Australia? Or will the Americans extend their run of dominance? Tune in to NBC and Golf Channel to catch all the action from Chicago.

ONE BIG FIG

Oregon’s Knight

$1 billion

That’s the amount of a recent donation from Nike founder Phil Knight and his wife to the University of Oregon. The school announced the donation Wednesday, which will be used to create an engineering college. Knight is perhaps Oregon’s most prominent alum, running track for three years in the 1950s. He partnered with his coach, Bill Bowerman, in 1964 to create the company that would become Nike. 

The donation, reportedly the largest-known contribution to a flagship university, extends Knight’s contributions through the years past $2 billion. The Knight family name adorns the basketball arena, a science campus, a law center, and the university’s main library. The donation comes amid a downturn for both higher education and the company Knight founded. Enrollments across the country haven’t recovered from pre-pandemic highs. “At a time when we’re all feeling a little bit under siege, this is tremendous news,” university president Karl Scholz told The New York Times. Nike, meanwhile, was removed from the S&P 100 on Monday, its stock price down more than 43% since the start of the year.

DAILY SPORTS TRIVIA

Can you rank the top five highest-paid offensive linemen in the NFL by contract AAV?

LOUD AND CLEAR

Brady Branding

“He’s like a NASCAR rig; he’s got the icons all over his sleeve.”

—UFL co-owner and BodyArmor founder Mike Repole speaking about Tom Brady, who has been popping up in endorsements for products such as Pizza Hut, Ferrero, and Delta Airlines. Although Brady endorsed companies during his NFL career, his exposure has increased after his 2023 retirement from the league, unlike many athletes. Meanwhile, Brady has also taken over as Fox’s lead color analyst and joined the Raiders as a minority investor. In 2024, Brady’s apparel and fitness brands, Brady Brand and TB12, merged with Repole’s athletic apparel brand, NoBull, with Brady becoming the second-largest shareholder.

“For really 35 years, he just did football, football, football,” Repole told Front Office Sports editor-in-chief Dan Roberts. “But … I know he’s committed to the Raiders, I know he’s committed to Fox, I know he’s committed to NoBull.”

SPONSORED BY DAKTRONICS

College Football’s Biggest Videoboard

The University of Illinois is raising the bar for game day with the largest video display in college football from Daktronics. Totaling more than 17,300 square feet, the new end-zone videoboard at Gies Memorial Stadium is the highlight of an installation that includes 16 LED displays combining for more than 26,750 square feet and 30 million pixels. The main display itself is nearly double the size of the next-largest screen in college sports. This season, Illinois debuted its larger-than-life technology to enhance the live event experience and create an immersive atmosphere for Illini fans. 

👉 Take a look at Illinois’s new videoboard.

Editors’ Picks

Question of the Day

Do you think the WNBA should continue expanding in Canada?