The WNBA is expanding to Toronto, but Larry Tanenbaum says the new team will belong to all of Canada.

TanenbaumB次元官网网址檚 Kilmer Sports Ventures confirmed Thursday it has been awarded a franchise in the professional womenB次元官网网址檚 basketball league.

The announcement was made at a downtown Toronto hotel attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, rapper Drake and Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes.

The as-yet-unnamed team will play out of the 8,700-seat Coca-Cola Coliseum, an arena in downtown Toronto at Exhibition Place and will have the ability to move up to the Scotiabank Arena on occasion

Tanenbaum said the team will also play in other Canadian markets.

B次元官网网址淭his franchise will be CanadaB次元官网网址檚 team,B次元官网网址� Tanenbaum said. B次元官网网址淲hile our home base will be (Coca-Cola Coliseum) at Exhibition Place in Toronto, we will play games in Vancouver and Montreal throughout the season, uniting the country behind our franchise and inspiring pride and passion in fans from coast to coast.B次元官网网址�

Coca-Cola Coliseum is also home to the American Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Toronto Marlies and hosted the first Professional WomenB次元官网网址檚 Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Toronto team, as well as its first-ever playoffs.

TorontoB次元官网网址檚 WNBA team will start playing in May 2026. It will be the WNBAB次元官网网址檚 14th franchise, with the expansion Golden State Valkyries set to start play next year.

B次元官网网址淕rowing internationally, IB次元官网网址檝e been trying to think through next steps on a global platform,B次元官网网址� WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press ahead of the official announcement.

B次元官网网址淚t helps us reach new audiences and bring in new partners. The thing I love about going to another country is that the young girls and boys get to see professional basketball for women is important, too.B次元官网网址�

The CBC was the first to report on May 10 that the womenB次元官网网址檚 professional basketball league had awarded a franchise to Kilmer Sports Ventures, headed by Toronto businessman Larry Tanenbaum.

Tanenbaum is the chairman and CEO of Kilmer Group and the chairman of the board for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NBAB次元官网网址檚 Raptors and the NHLB次元官网网址檚 Maple Leafs.

Tanenbaum, who is paying $50 million for the team, noted it was important to invest in communities across the country.

B次元官网网址淪uccess is not just about the players and the team but it is also about insuring purpose-led legacy,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淥ur players will serve as inspirational role models both on and off the court.B次元官网网址�

Tanenbaum said ownership would take its time and B次元官网网址渟olicit public inputB次元官网网址� before naming the team.

Canada has hosted sold-out WNBA pre-season games at Scotiabank Arena in 2023 and EdmontonB次元官网网址檚 Rogers Place on May 4.

There are four Canadians in the WNBA this season B次元官网网址� Aaliyah Edwards, of Kingston, Ont. (Washington Mystics), Bridget Carleton, of Chatham, Ont. (Minnesota Lynx), Laeticia Amihere, of Milton, Ont. (Atlanta Dream), and HamiltonB次元官网网址檚 Kia Nurse (Los Angeles Sparks).

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B次元官网网址� With files from The Associated Press.

The Canadian Press