Tennessee’s Nashville. In an effort to bring the WNBA to Music City, the chairman of the NHL’s Nashville Predators and his spouse have partnered with a group of celebrities, including artists Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, and Candace Parker.
The consortium, which was led by former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, made their bid for a 2028-starting franchise to the WNBA on Thursday. In remembrance of the late Pat Summitt, the squad would also be called the Tennessee Summitt. According to Haslam, there is a gap in the way women’s professional sports are developing globally.
In addition to providing more possibilities for sports fans as our community grows, we think a Nashville-based WNBA club could be a beacon for women and girls of all ages in Tennessee, Haslam stated.
The WNBA team’s practice facility, which would also be used for youth basketball, is another aspect of the Nashville bid.
“Tennessee is the DNA of everything women’s basketball stands for,” Parker said in a statement.In a lengthy Instagram post, the three-time WNBA champion discussed the significance of her efforts to bring a WNBA club to Tennessee and pay tribute to Summitt’s legacy in a location she described as special and home.
Parker, who won two national titles with Summitt at the University of Tennessee, remarked, “This is a real pinch-me moment.” If you know me, you are aware of the significance and influence Coach Summitt has had on my life. As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, teammate, and individual, Coach helps me be the best version of myself. The fact that we are putting in a bid to the (at)wnba today for a franchise named in her honor makes me feel honored.
Eight-time national champion Summitt passed away in 2016 as the most successful Division I coach, four years after quitting due to an early-onset Alzheimer’s-type dementia diagnosis.
With a career record of 1,098-208 over 38 seasons and 18 trips to the NCAA Final Four, Summitt, a native of Tennessee, coached the Lady Vols for 38 years. According to Tyler, her son, his mother was a strong supporter of women in leadership roles and women’s sports.
According to Summitt, she would be honored and proud to be a part of the growth of women’s professional basketball in Tennessee.
The NHL Predators’ home arena, Bridgestone Arena, would host the team’s game.In 2022, Haslam began buying a majority stake in the Predators.
In order to increase the number of WNBA franchises to 15, the league is adding three expansion teams over the course of the next two seasons: Golden State, Portland, and Toronto. By 2028, the WNBA hopes to add a 16th club, according to commissioner Cathy Engelbert.Last November, Cleveland declared its intention to bring a WNBA team back to Ohio.
— AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker
