Houston vs. Austin? WNBA Expansion Bids Heat Up in Texas
A potential ownership group, featuring Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, has officially submitted a bid to establish a WNBA expansion team in Austin. This group includes former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, alongside Fran Harris, a notable former college basketball player from Texas. Durant made a significant impact during his single season with the Longhorns in 2006-07, earning accolades as a consensus All-American and winning the prestigious Wooden Award. Should the team be established, it would host home games at the Moody Center, with plans also underway for a new practice facility.
Austin and Houston are now key players in a competitive race to secure the WNBA’s 16th franchise. With the league set to grow to 13 teams starting this summer with the debut of the Golden State Valkyries, the Toronto Tempo and an unnamed Portland team are scheduled to join as the league's No. 14 and No. 15 teams in 2026. The Texas-based bids are accompanied by ownership groups from cities such as Charlotte, Detroit, Nashville, and Philadelphia, among others, with four of the nine bids reportedly associated with current NBA franchise owners.
Women’s basketball in Houston saw a golden era at the turn of the century, with the Comets clinching four consecutive WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000. As the landscape begins to shift, will a new chapter unfold for basketball in the Bayou City later this decade? Fertitta faces a formidable challenge amid an expanding field of contenders for the coveted WNBA franchise.
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