Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark has given her thoughts on Patrick Mahomes bringing the WNBA to Kansas City.
The WNBA has seen major surges in popularity in recent years, with Clarks sensational debut campaign one of the driving forces of the league on and off the court. 2025 sees the Golden State Valkyries enter the league, while expansion plans to 15 teams by 2026 see franchises also heading to Toronto and Portland.
League commissioner Cathy Engelbert wants a 16th team to enter the WNBA by 2028 and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Mahomes has rallied behind the citys desire to have a WNBA franchise to play at the T-Mobile Center.
Clark was asked about the plans by Mahomes Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast with his brother Jason. Clark gave her full support to the idea of bringing a professional womens basketball team to Kansas City. Womens basketball could be great there, so Id support it, Clark said.
Mahomes and his wife Brittany are already involved with womens sports in the city, with them part of the ownership group of the NSWL team, the KC Current. The 29-year-old three-time Super Bowl champion stated his desire to expand the ownership groups model to bring the WNBA into their home town.
“We want to get basketball to Kansas City in general and then WNBA. The success that they’ve had this last season and these last few seasons, it’s kind of a no-brainer,” Mahomes said. “To try to get a WNBA team in Kansas City to this fan base — you see it if you talk about University of Kansas basketball, the Chiefs or whatever it is — the city of Kansas City is going to come out and they’re going to fill the stadium.
“It was cool that we were able to get this soccer team, this women’s soccer team here in the Current and they’re going into the playoffs now and you see the support that they have. So let’s try to get a WNBA team in here as well [with] that same ownership group. They’ve done the Current the right way, and I want to continue to work with them to take that next step and get a WNBA team here.”
Mahomes has lived in Kansas City since being drafted by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2017 draft. Born in Tyler, Texas, Mahomes played collegiately at Texas Tech before making the move north of the Lone Star State. “Kansas City is such a great place for me,” Mahomes continued.
“It’s a place that I call home. It’s a place that I built a house at and that I’ll be for a long, long time. I think being involved in the community as much as possible [is important] and I love sports. I know how much the city loves sports, so let’s bring as many sports in here and showcase how great Kansas City is not only as a city, but the people that are in the city as well.
“We feel like Kansas City is a great place to continue that growth, but we have to battle with other cities to prove why we can sustain and have a great franchise here.”
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