The WNBA is rising, and that’s main information for the sport—and for HBCU athletes aiming to interrupt by way of to the skilled ranks.
On Monday, the WNBA introduced it’s including three new franchises, bringing the league to a file 18 groups. Cleveland will start play in 2028, Detroit joins in 2029, and Philadelphia will tip off in 2030. This follows the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season and two beforehand introduced enlargement groups set to launch subsequent 12 months in Toronto, Canada, and Portland, Oregon.
The league’s resolution comes after its most profitable season up to now—shattering information for viewership, attendance, and merchandise gross sales. In accordance with the WNBA, the cities had been chosen based mostly on elements like market energy, possession dedication, fan help, company backing, and group funding.
This enlargement isn’t nearly including groups—it’s about creating house in a league the place roster spots have traditionally been laborious to come back by. That’s very true for gamers from Traditionally Black Schools and Universities (HBCUs), who’ve typically discovered their skilled desires blocked by the numbers sport.
Tight Roster spots have made it laborious for HBCU gamers to make a crew
Current instances show how tight the window has been. Norfolk State’s Diamond Johnson, one of the electrifying guards within the nation, signed a coaching camp contract with the Minnesota Lynx after going undrafted within the 2025 WNBA Draft. Regardless of her expertise, Johnson was waived earlier than the season started.
Zaay Inexperienced, a former UAPB standout who completed her faculty profession at Alabama, was drafted thirty second general by the Washington Mystics. Sadly, she didn’t make the ultimate roster.
These tales aren’t remoted—they’re a part of a long-standing problem for HBCU athletes trying to enter the W. With extra groups on the horizon, there’s hope that the trail to the professionals will lastly begin to widen.
HBCU applications like Jackson State, Norfolk State, and Howard have proven they will produce elite expertise. Now, with the WNBA creating extra alternatives, that expertise could have extra room to shine.
Because the league continues to develop—with MVP favorites like Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces main the cost—the long run appears to be like vivid not only for the WNBA, however for the following wave of HBCU hoopers able to make their mark.
