Excitement building in Philadelphia as city gets its first WNBA team

There is even more exciting sports news. Philadelphia is getting another professional team, with the WNBA announcing a major expansion. The WNBA is now expanding to 18 teams as the demand for women's sports only grows. Action News reporter Taronda Thomas is in South Philadelphia with more details on today's announcement. The WNBA is coming to Philadelphia. This is the first new major sports team we've had since 2008, and they'll play right here in South Philadelphia. Welcome, Philadelphia, officially to the WNBA. And with that, Philly made history as the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection gets its first WNBA team. Scheduled to hit the hardwood in 2030, the team's majority owner will be Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, the same company that owns the Sixers. We have an opportunity to build something special, a team that girls across the region can root for and be inspired by. Cause for celebration for Jen Leary, she runs Watch Party PHL, which hosts watch parties for women's sports. It's been a lot of hard work from a lot of people behind the scenes, and so I'm just really happy for everyone involved and for the city. Back in January, city leaders talked about their desire to have a WNBA team holding a press conference right after the Sixers Center City Arena deal fell through. A new hype video getting Philadelphia fans ready for the yet to be named team, which could make its debut in a new arena that Sixers owners had already planned to build. We've told everyone that the new arena was 2031. We're sticking to that, but we're putting some extra pressure on ourself now to get it open in 2030. For fans, it can't come soon enough. Yes! I'm really excited about this. I love sports, so we will see what the team will bring to this city. I think it's really cool and really inspiring for young girls. Ready for a new era in Philadelphia sports. We're honored to be part of this league, this movement, and this city's next great sports chapter. The two other cities to get a WNBA team are Cleveland and Detroit. Now, we've got to wait until 2030 to have the team play here, but the WNBA suggests if you want updates, go follow them on social media and their website. We've got links to it all at 6abc.com slash links. In South Philadelphia, Taronda Thomas, Channel 6 Action News.