WNBA bringing pre-season game to Edmonton

The WNBA is coming back to Canada, just maybe not in the way people had expected.

The women’s basketball league announced it will hold a pre-season game between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Seattle Storm at Edmonton’s Rogers Place on May 5. The news comes days after media reports that Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum is pursuing a WNBA franchise for Toronto.

It’s the second year in a row a Canadian city has hosted a WNBA pre-season game. Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena held one in 2023.

“We were thrilled with the way Canada and Toronto, Toronto specifically, but I would say how the country responded to having our first-ever game there,” said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a video conference. “Globalizing the game is an important part of our strategy and given that Canada is our neighbour to the north here in the U.S., I think the success of that game was amazing.

“I get chills still thinking of that vibe last year, so from an expansion perspective, what we’re looking for in any city or market we’re talking to is a committed ownership group with a great arena situation, practice facility, and player experience.”

The contest in Edmonton will be the fourth WNBA pre-season game held outside the United States, with Manchester, England (2011) and Monterrey, Mexico (2004) previously being hosts.

The four-time WNBA champion Storm currently boast 2023 league scoring leader and all-star game MVP Jewell Loyd. The Sparks, meanwhile, feature Canadian national team star Kia Nurse, whose brother Darnell plays defence for the Edmonton Oilers. Engelbert said Edmonton was a logical choice to play host to the second WNBA Canada Game because of the city’s rich sporting history, with the NHL’S Oilers and CFL’S Elks having passionate support, and the historical success of the Edmonton Grads, an amateur women’s basketball team that maintained an astonishing 95 per cent winning percentage from 1915-40.

She also pointed to the success of an NBA exhibition game between Toronto and Utah in 2022 as an indicator of how successful a pro basketball game in Edmonton could be.

“They sold out in eight minutes,” said Engelbert. “I think the venue proved to be fantastic and the fan base continues to grow there.