The WNBA has a large expansion plan in place for the coming seasons. The Golden State Valkyries joined the league this season, bringing the total number of teams to 13. In 2026, Toronto and Portland are slated to get WNBA teams, bringing the total to 15. However, expansion is not expected to end there.
On June 30, the WNBA announced that there are plans to expand the league to 18 teams with expansion franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. Those teams are scheduled to enter the league in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively. While expansion is generally good for professional sports, some WNBA players have expressed concerns about this plan.
On Tuesday, Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams appeared on “Good Game with Sarah Spain” to discuss the WNBA’s expansion plan, sending a blunt warning.
“They were pretty clear about, you know, well, obviously we’re adding teams, and we can’t add this many teams, and, like, play seven games a week, if the league still stays between, like May and September. We’re just not going to be able to play every single day,” Gabby Williams said. “And so, of course, we’re going to have to lengthen the season, and I think that is the ultimate goal.
“But if they lengthen the season and force us to not play in these other leagues, maybe I, maybe I won’t be in the W if I get a much better offer from Unrivaled or from another team overseas. And I think a lot of players are thinking about that.
“I think Unrivaled saved the WNBA, but this year because a lot of players made it on time to training camp, which is ironic that the W doesn’t like Unrivaled, because the W wouldn’t have had a lot of players without Unrivaled because of prioritization. So yeah, it’s clear that they want to lengthen the season, which obviously they need to for expanding. But again, it’s, it’s it’s business.”
having players willing to talk about this topic in this way is so important pic.twitter.com/Xwe8jTSWMm
— dani🍓 (@hereetoyap) July 29, 2025
The WNBA Could Face a Work Stoppage Next Season
Gabby Williams is not the only player who has been vocal about the state of the WNBA in recent months. Player pay has been a big topic of conversation, as well as expansion, because the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on October 31.
Many players have argued that if there is no increase in player pay, they could sit out and force a lockout. A lockout would likely cause a delay in some of the expansion plans for the WNBA.
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