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WNBA Adds Three Teams at Record $250 Million Expansion Fee

All three teams were acquired by the ownership of the NBA team in that city.

Photographer: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The WNBA is adding teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia with a record expansion fee.

The Cleveland team will start play in 2028, followed a year later by Detroit and then Philadelphia in 2030, the league said in a press release. Each will pay $250 million to become part of the WNBA, said people familiar with the deal. In 2023, the expansion fee was $50 million, according to reports.