Austin FC will remain the city’s first (and only) major professional sports league team for the foreseeable future.
AUSTIN, Texas — While the WNBA is not expected to announce its new expansion franchise for months, reports say a decision has already been made.
Despite an effort led by former Texas Longhorns stars Fran Harris and Kevin Durant, the WNBA has reportedly settled on reviving the Cleveland Rockers for its new team.
Cleveland is expected to become the league’s 16th team with a bid worth a league-record $250 million. The decision first reported by the Sports Business Journal on Sunday, comes more than 20 years after the city’s WNBA franchise folded.
According to the report, the WNBA recently applied to trademark the Rockers name. While Austin could still eventually be picked in a future expansion, the league also reportedly applied to trademark the Detroit Shock, the Miami Sol and the Charlotte Sting – three former franchises that could also be in the running against Austin.
Austin’s stiff competition
Despite the backing of Durant, Harris and former Milwaukee Bucks owner Mark Lasry, Austin was not a sure thing.
According to the Associated Press, Nashville lined up a star-studded bid featuring Candace Parker, Peyton Manning, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. The team would have been named the Tennessee Summitt in honor of the late University of Tennessee woman’s basketball coach Pat Summitt.
Detroit also submitted a bid to bring the WNBA back with an investor group led by the owner of the Detroit Pistons and Detriot Lions. The bid included the chair and CEO of General Motors, Grant Hill, Chris Webber and Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was part of the city’s investment group to bring the WNBA into town, while Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum invested in the bid of his hometown, St. Louis.
Harris said that Austin’s goal was to play at the Moody Center in 2027, but that they wouldn’t hear back about the bid until at least April.
It’s unclear how much Austin bid or if any concerns revolving around the Moody Center and the University of Texas may have been a factor.