Why WNBA expansion teams continue to break the mold

The WNBA has entered a new era of expansion. Last season, the Golden State Valkyries joined the league as its 13th franchise. This year, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire have entered the scene. Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia will make their debuts in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively. While this much expansion could be a danger that the league needs to navigate carefully, those worries have been dwindling day-by-day.

Last season, the Valkyries immediately set the tone. They broke numerous records, including the all-time league attendance record with 397,408 total fans. After only one season, the Valkyries became the first WNBA team to be valued at $1 billion. But, more importantly, they broke the single-season win record by a first-year WNBA team and became the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs in its inaugural season.

Golden State's inaugural roster was rich with players who had been waiting for their breakout WNBA moment, specifically Veronica Burton. She was waived by the Dallas Wings in 2022, then bounced around the league for a couple of years. Over her first three seasons, Burton averaged only 2.7 points and 2.0 assists in 13.9 minutes per game. It's not an exaggeration to say her move to Golden State breathed new life into her career. In 2025, she averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 assists in 29.4 minutes per game, ultimately winning last year's Most Improved Player award. She's quickly become the face of the new franchise, already averaging 14.3 points and 6.3 assists per game in 2026.

Portland and Toronto following in Golden State's footsteps

We're seeing similar patterns take shape with the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire right now. In Toronto, they decided to pick up a couple of veterans during the draft and free agency. So while Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes are the leaders of their squad, we've gotten to see new glimpses of players like Nyara Sabally, who have spent a lot of their career in the shadows. Temi Fagbenle and Isabelle Harrison have spent some time on the bench due to injuries, but expect them to make their mark when they return. Even with being short-staffed in the frontcourt department, the Tempo are sitting at 3-4 to start the season and have proven to be fighters in close games.

When it comes to Portland, they're far more similar to Golden State than I think anyone expected before the season. Their strategy seemed to be 'build now, win later,' but these players don't want to wait to win. The Fire selected Bridget Carleton with the first pick in the expansion draft. Through her seven-year WNBA career, she averaged 5.2 points per game. With seven games under her belt in Portland, she's already averaging 15.6 points per game. Carla Leite is another great example. She was picked up by the Golden State Valkyries for her rookie season. So she's experienced a team's inaugural year before; perhaps that's helped her succeed this season. She's averaging 15.6 points per game with Portland, quickly becoming the city's star.

Sarah Ashlee Barker and Emily Engstler are two more players Portland picked up during the draft. So far this season, they're finally getting their opportunities and making the most of them. Engstler is currently leading the league in blocks, averaging 2.3 per game. Barker has made her mark in the biggest of moments. She put up the game-winning shot against the New York Liberty to give Portland its first-ever win. The Fire closed their season series against the Liberty with a 2-1 record, proving they can compete with the league's biggest dogs. They currently sit at 4-3, having won three of their last four games; they've seemed more and more like an elite cohesive unit as the season has progressed.

Factors fueling expansion team success

Historically, expansion teams have not had great success across any league. So, what's making this era of the WNBA different? There is so much growth surrounding women's basketball right now, the most we've ever seen. There's more visibility, more fans, and more money being poured into the WNBA specifically. The cities the league has expanded to are proven to have loyal fanbases, and not just through the NBA but other leagues like the MLB, NWSL and at the college level, as well.

Fans were lining up at the Valkyries' door before their inaugural season success even skyrocketed things. Before the 2025 expansion draft took place, they had already secured 17,000 season ticket deposits. The Toronto Tempo's season tickets sold out before this season began, and Portland had secured over 10,000 deposits in June of 2025, over 10 months before this team ever took the court.

The fans have been showing up to every game. Each crowd has been electric, fueling their new home team. After Barker's game-winner against the Liberty, Portland's home crowd nearly broke the sound barrier.

When asked about the Portland home crowd, Barker told the Oregonian, "...the fans here are like special. I've really never experienced it before in my life with how genuine... they just seem like they're a part of us.."

The feelings in Toronto are similar. After the Tempo's first home win, Mabrey praised the crowd to TSN, "They're like our sixth man, they have great energy, they're hyping me up, they're hyping up the whole team..."

While the crowd and hype surrounding these new squads are big motivating factors, it's not the only thing fueling this unexpected expansion success. As I mentioned before, a lot of the players on these teams have been waiting for their chance. The WNBA is one of the hardest leagues not only to stay in but to break through in, due to the lack of roster spots. There are loads of undervalued and overlooked players who have been waived or are sitting on the sidelines.

Now with expansion, we're seeing more players get the opportunities they've been waiting in the shadows for. Because of the underwhelming success of expansion teams in the past, these players can play more freely, taking their time to learn the system without too much added pressure. The free play on top of hidden gem-type players is another major component of the success we're seeing.

Will the success and hype wear off as time goes on? If the Golden State Valkyries' second season is telling us anything, it's that the answer is no. Before the 2026 season, their season tickets sold out. The success on the court is keeping up, too. They're currently sitting at 4-2 and have the highest net rating across the league. Their second-leading scorer is Gabby Williams, averaging 13.5 points per game. Williams, one of the best defenders in the league, made the move to Golden State from Seattle during free agency.

Another perk of the expansion team's hype and early success: getting to be competitive in offseason signings. In her preseason press conference, Williams said, "There were three key factors in making my decision: 'Where am I going to win? Where am I going to be a part of a winning culture?' Even though this is a newer team, I feel the competitiveness and the want to win..."

Perhaps the allure of the Valkyries first season motivated players like Brittney Sykes and Isabelle Harrison to join the Tempo for their debut. And if Portland's success continues, you can bet they'll go after a few big names next offseason.

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