September 19 – The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday that Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta plans to submit a proposal to bring a WNBA expansion team back to Houston.
The bid includes using the branding of the Houston Comets, one of the WNBA’s original eight teams that played from 1997 to 2008 and featured stars such as Cynthia Cooper, Cheryl Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, who together won the league’s first four championships.
According to the report, the league, which currently has 14 teams, will add teams in Portland and Toronto in 2026, and the timing of bringing a team back to Houston is “currently unclear.”
“I am actively discussing the opportunity to bring a WNBA expansion team back to Houston with the league,” Fertitta said in a statement to Chron.com on Thursday. “There is tremendous enthusiasm for the WNBA and women’s sports and our passionate and dedicated fan base makes us an ideal choice.”
According to reports, Fertitta is expected to face stiff bidding competition from ownership groups in Denver, Nashville, Philadelphia and Miami.
Fertitta already has the infrastructure in place as he and the Rockets own the Toyota Center and the Rockets co-own the regional sports television network Space City Home Network.
–Visual-level media
