New WNBA Franchise To Begin Play In Chicago By ‘06

The WNBA will “place a team in Chicago beginning in 2006” and the club will be operated by an independent ownership group that “is in place and not the NBA’s Bulls,” according to sources cited by Mike Anthony of the HARTFORD COURANT. Chicago will join the Connecticut Sun as the only WNBA franchises without ties to an NBA team. One source said that the formal announcement could come as early as February 1, “perhaps in conjunction with league president Val Ackerman’s departure.” Anthony notes the sale price is reportedly “comparable to the $10[M] the Mohegan Tribe is believed to have paid for the Sun.” One source said of the team being in Chicago, “Obviously it’s a huge [TV] market, and (the thought is) that the biggest impact on the team’s attendance is its location” (HARTFORD COURANT, 1/14). News of the WNBA’s potential move to Chicago was first reported by sister publication SportsBusiness Journal.