As the Kansas City Chiefs play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes speaks about more than just football. While Mahomes is chasing his own legacy, he is also pushing for the city of Kansas City to thrive by having a WNBA team as the talk of expansion is a viral one in the women's basketball world.
The city has been trying to get a professional basketball team there for a while as they even built the T-Mobile Arena which hosts big-time concerts and even recently held such sporting events like the Big 12 men's and women's basketball tourneys.
Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes on wanting Kansas City to have a WNBA team
Mahomes would talk about the ownership group of the NWSL's Kansas City Current, which he and his wife Brittany are a part of, and how a WNBA team would work, especially with the growing popularity of the league according to ESPN.
“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,” Mahomes said. “To try to get a WNBA team in Kansas City to this fan base — you see it if you talk about University of Kansas basketball, the Chiefs or whatever it is — the city of Kansas City is going to come out and they're going to fill the stadium.”
“It was cool that we were able to get this soccer team, this women's soccer team here in the Current and they're going into the playoffs now and you see the support that they have,” Mahomes continued. “So let's try to get a WNBA team in here as well [with] that same ownership group. They've done the Current the right way, and I want to continue to work with them to take that next step and get a WNBA team here.”
Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes on how much the city loves sports
This would not be the first time Mahomes and the ownership group have talked about a possible WNBA team as it was even reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN that there have been discussions of a potential move. However, there is steep compeition with other cities like “St. Louis, Philadelphia and several other cities” per ESPN.
“Kansas City is such a great place for me,” Mahomes said. “It's a place that I call home. It's a place that I built a house at and that I'll be for a long, long time. I think being involved in the community as much as possible [is important] and I love sports. I know how much the city loves sports, so let's bring as many sports in here and showcase how great Kansas City is not only as a city, but the people that are in the city as well.”
“We feel like Kansas City is a great place to continue that growth,” Mahomes continued. “But we have to battle with other cities to prove why we can sustain and have a great franchise here.”
With the ownership group, he has some part of the Kansas City Royals and the MLS team, Sporting Kansas City. Looking at football, Mahomes will focus on also winning a third straight Super Bowl with the Chiefs.