Group led by Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Carter-Williams preparing offer for WNBA expansion team in Boston

Boston is taking a significant step closer to a WNBA team, as word came Tuesday that an ownership group led by actor/singer Donnie Wahlberg and former NBA player and Hamilton native Michael Carter-Williams is planning to prepare an offer for an expansion team.

Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor Maura Healey also have offered support. The WNBA is in an expansion flurry, with teams in San Francisco (Golden State), Portland, and Toronto beginning play in the next two years. Front Office Sports reported Cleveland will be the league’s 16th team in 2028.

TD Garden hosted a WNBA game last August featuring the Connecticut Sun and Los Angeles Sparks, and it drew a capacity crowd. The Sun are playing again at the Garden in August against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Several Sun players said they would prefer to play more games in Boston and the enthusiasm for last year’s game appeared to spark interest in bringing the WNBA here permanently.

The Wahlberg/Carter-Williams group, named Boston Women’s Basketball Partners, would have to officially apply for a team and then be approved by the league’s owners, as well as pay an expansion fee. The Portland franchise paid a $125 million expansion free, while Front Office Sports reported the Cleveland group paid a record $250 million.





https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/18/sports/wnba-expansion-boston/