Heat legend Udonis Haslem shares his plan to bring WNBA franchise back in Miami

Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem revealed one of his plans after his NBA retirement last year. On The OGs podcast, Haslem expressed his desire to bring or revive a WNBA franchise to Miami, bringing the city a women’s basketball squad for the first time in over two decades.

Talking with NBA legend Mike Miller and WNBA player Natasha Cloud, Haslem explained that he hopes to be a part of an expansion team in Miami or buy out a struggling franchise to bring WNBA back to the city.

“I’m speaking this to existence. I’m hoping to be part of (WNBA franchise) in Miami. I’m hoping to be a part of either an expansion (team) or buy a team that is just struggling and bring it to Miami,” Udonis Haslem, who played for the Miami Heat in his entire 20-year NBA career, said. (from 4:26)

The city once had a WNBA team named Miami Sol, but it only lasted from 2000 to 2002, when it folded for financial reasons. In its three seasons, the team went to the WNBA semifinals, only to lose to the New York Liberty in 2001.

“We had the Sol from years ago. The goal is to have one in Miami,” Udonis Haslem said.

The WNBA has lined up expansion squads for the next three years, starting with the Golden State Valkyries, whose squad will be joining the league in the upcoming 2025 season. In 2026, the league will also add a team from Toronto and Portland, before adding another one in 2027, which would likely be a squad based in Cleveland.

Miami has also been the center of women’s basketball this year as the startup Unrivaled League played its eight-week inaugural season in a facility inside the city.

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Potential Udonis Haslem expansion squad could challenge former teammate Dwyane Wade in the WNBA

If Udonis Haslem’s plans come to fruition, he could be looking at a familiar face in the WNBA, as former teammate and fellow Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade also owned a part of the Chicago Sky, one of the fastest-rising teams in the league led by Angel Reese.

Wade is a part-owner of the Sky, which is now worth $95 million. For Haslem to make his wish come true for Miami, several investors and stakeholders would need to revive the Sol in Miami.

Wade and Haslem won three titles together with the Heat, becoming two of the most recognizable faces from the franchise in the past two decades.

Aside from the Heat, Miami has three other professional squads now playing in the city namely the Marlins, the Dolphins and the Panthers. While Haslem’s vision remains a far dream, Miami is expected to continue being a hotbed of women’s basketball with the rise of the Unrivaled league in the city.