"TORONTO TORNADOES!" - WNBA fans get creative over name ideas as Toronto gets expansion team

WNBA fans are excited following the announcement that the city of Toronto has been awarded an expansion team set to start in 2026. It will be owned by Larry Tanenbaum, who is the minority owner of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment. Fans are also starting to get creative about the potential team name of the Toronto WNBA team.

According to CBC Sports, the official announcement will be on May 23 after the WNBA awarded Kilmer Sports Inc. an expansion franchise. Kilmer Sports Inc. is owned by Tanenbaum, who initially wanted MLSE to help gain ownership but the board turned it down.

MLSE owns multiple sports franchises in the city like the Maple Leafs in the NHL, the Raptors in the NBA, the Argonauts in the CFL and Toronto FC in the MLS. The new Toronto WNBA team will play its games at the 8,000-seater Coca-Cola Coliseum.

Fans are excited to about the expansion of the league to 14 teams, with Golden State arriving next season. Some even have thought of potential names for the Toronto franchise.

"TORONTO TORNADOES," one fan suggested.

"Lady Raptors," a fan commented.

"Name them the Huskies!!" another fan remarked.

Other fans are upset because Toronto got to have a WNBA franchise first than their city. Some are looking forward to having their own team in the league soon as part of its goal to have at least 16 teams in the next few years.

"No Houston Comets revival? I guess the timing has to be right," one fan asked.

"Awesome for them, but what about Philly???" another fan questioned.

"Bring one to Austin, TX and San Antonio, Tx.," a fan commented.

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WNBA commissioner's goal to expand league

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert revealed last month before the draft that the goal of the league is to have at least 16 teams by 2028. There will be 14 teams by 2026, with the Golden State franchise starting next year and the Toronto franchise in two years.

Engelbert hinted that some of the cities looking for an expansion team were Philadelphia, Portland, Denver and South Florida. The sport of women's basketball continues to grow and its popularity is at an all-time high with the arrival of Caitlin Clark.

"Those are the cities we're talking to. But just last week we got calls from two other cities. These can either take a very long time to negotiate or can happen pretty quickly if you find the right ownership group with the right arena situation," Engelbert said. [H/T Yahoo! Sports]

The league began with eight teams in 1997 before it doubled in size three years later. However, two teams immediately folded in 2002, and four more founding members folded before 2010.

Chicago and Atlanta would also get expansion teams in the mid-2000s, while others relocated with a total of 12 teams since 2010.