Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes is among those trying to land the WNBA team for Kansas City in the 2028 expansion

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City Current ownership group, who play in the National Women’s Soccer League, are meeting with WNBA officials a about bringing an expansion franchise to the city.

Mahomes confirmed the talks Thursday and said it was a “no-brainer” to try to bring women’s hoops to Kansas City.

“Obviously we want basketball in general to be in Kansas City,” said Mahomes, who also has ownership stakes in the Royals and MLS club Sporting Kansas City. “You talk about University of Kansas basketball, the Chiefs, whatever it is, the city is coming to the stadium. It’s cool that we were able to get the women’s soccer team here and you can see the support they have.”

The Current, who are playing in a $117 million purpose built stadium nearby downtown Kansas City, have regularly sold out their home games this season. They enter the NWSL playoffs as the No. 4 seed on November 9, having lost just three times all season.

Mahomes and his wife Brittany, a former football player, regularly attend Current and Sporting KC games. The Chiefs quarterback was in a suite at Kauffman Stadium a few weeks ago to watch the Royals play the Guardians in the playoffs.

“I think more than anything, I know how much sports has given me,” said Mahomes, whose undefeated Chiefs play Tampa Bay on Monday night. “Every time I’m done with football – whenever that is – and I have to venture into life after football and chase kids, I still want to be a part of it. Hopefully we can get this WNBA team here, for life after football, so I can make an impact in the sport and show my daughter that you can chase your dream, whatever dream that is.

The WNBA will expand by three teams over the next two seasons, with Golden State, Portland and Toronto bringing the total number of franchises to 15. And while league commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said the WNBA is looking to add a 16th team by the 2028 season, Kansas City is expected to face competition from St. Louis, Philadelphia and several other cities.

The league is backed by young stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, draws its best attendance numbers in 22 years this past season. Game 5 of his championship peaked 3.3 million TV viewers, the most watched WNBA game in a quarter century, plus 22 broadcasts during the 40-game regular season, added at least a million viewers across networks.

Kansas City has long had the infrastructure for a professional basketball franchise, building the T-Mobile Center in 2007 in hopes of luring an NBA or NHL club to the city. Those teams never materialized, but the building has been busy hosting concerts and other sporting events, including the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments each March.

Mahomes believes a WNBA franchise would be a perfect fit for downtown.

“They want to expand. Like any other business, you have to choose how,” he said. “You’ve clearly seen that the WNBA has grown in recent years. We feel like Kansas City is a great place to continue that growth, but we need to compete with other cities to show them this is the right place.”

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