WNBA Expansion Rumors: $25,000,000 Massachusetts native, former NBA ROY Michael Carter-Williams plans to bring new team to Boston 

By Juan Paolo David

Modified Feb 19, 2025 10:00 GMT

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The WNBA officially expanded to 13 teams this upcoming season with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries. Two more teams in Portland and Toronto are set to join in 2026, with Cleveland reportedly getting a team in 2028. The latest rumors suggest that an ownership group is looking to bring a team in Boston, led by actor Donnie Wahlberg and former NBA player Michael Carter-Williams.

According to The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, the Boston Women's Basketball Partners is looking to apply for a WNBA franchise. The group is expected to seek approval from other owners, as well as pay a fee that will likely range from $125 million to $250 million.

Donnie is the older brother of Mark Wahlberg, who was born and raised in Boston. Carter-Williams played in the NBA from 2013 to 2023, winning the Rookie of the Year in 2014 with the Philadelphia 76ers. He's from Hamilton, which is a 40-minute drive up north of Beantown. He has a reported career earnings of $23,533,031.

In a statement released to The Boston Globe, Donnie Wahlberg confirmed his ownership group's desire to bring a WNBA team to Boston. Wahlberg is looking forward to seeing women's basketball games inside TD Garden in the future.

"As a longtime Boston Celtics fan who attended countless NBA games in my lifetime, nothing would bring me more joy than to have a WNBA franchise in the city of Boston," Wahlberg said.

"I look forward to the day I can walk into the Garden, along with thousands of the greatest (and most knowledgeable) basketball fans on the planet, to root for Boston's hometown WNBA team."

Wahlberg and Michael Carter-Williams are not the only members of the ownership group. They are joined by Carter-Willams' mother Mandy Carter-Zegarowski, Zozimus Agency executive AJ Gerritson, The Carlyle Group's Bob Lemmond, The Nolan Group's Gregg Nolan and real estate developer Paul Dahn.

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More cities are looking to get WNBA team

More cities are looking to get women's basketball teams. (Photo: GETTY)

After struggling for viewers over the past decade, the WNBA has grown in popularity, especially after the arrival of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The league had record numbers, not just in attendance, but also in television ratings.

That's why it's not surprising to see more cities rumored to be applying to have a franchise. With Portland and Toronto coming in 2026, Cleveland in 2028, and the establishment of Boston's ownership group, it will be interesting to see how many teams the league is going to have in the next 10 years.

Some of the cities linked to a potential franchise include Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Nashville. The first cities have established NBA teams, while Nashville has no links to basketball though the Memphis Grizzlies are four hours away.