Boston Celtics star and NBA Champion Jayson Tatum is joining in on the effort to bring a WNBA expansion team to St. Louis. Per a report by Sportico, Tatum has backed a bid to bring a team to his hometown as he joins Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.

The Celtics star's involvement is thanks to the new NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. The new CBA that was ratified in April 2023 allows NBA players to own up to 4% of WNBA franchises. The move is just in time for the WNBA's expansion as the league looks to add a 16th team to the league. The WNBA has already approved three expansion teams: Golden State Valkyries and two franchises to be created in Toronto and Portland.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert spoke about the large interest in expansion from multiple cities, saying. “The good news is we have a lot of demand from many cities…I’d say 10 or so, maybe even plus at this point, because I think the more people are watching the WNBA and seeing what we’re growing here and seeing these players and the product on the court, more people are interested in having it in their cities.”

Per Sports Illustrated reporter Jodi Newsome, Mahomes spoke about his support of bringing a WNBA team to Missouri, saying, “We want to get basketball to Kansas City in general and then WNBA. The success that they've had this last season and these last few seasons, it's kind of a no-brainer,”

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Missouri was the home of two NBA franchises: The Kansas City Kings and the St. Louis Hawks. The St. Louis Hawks even won an NBA Finals led by legend Bob Pettis. Both franchises, however, departed the state. The Hawks relocated to Atlanta in 1968 and the Kansas City Kings relocated to Sacramento in 1984. Per Sportico, a presentation is being shown to potential investors highlighting the tradition of basketball in the state and the support that professional and college teams have seen in the area.

The earliest that the franchise would join the WNBA is 2028. While a bid hasn't been submitted and the prospective ownership group is still being formed, momentum is picking up for the franchise and it could be a huge addition to The W.