For the first time in league history, the WNBA will expand outside of the United States by adding a team in Toronto starting in the 2026 season. Naturally, the Global Ambassador of the Toronto Raptors was in attendance.
Drake — making his first public appearance since his ugly feud with Kendrick Lamar began — was seen kicking it with Raptors VP and President Masai Ujiri and former Raptors player Kyle Lowry at the event.
The 6 God and the Toronto Raptors have been locked as twins for a few years now. The Canadian rapper was named World Ambassador of the team in 2013 and in 2019, they renamed their practice at the OVO Sports Center. Kilmer Sports Ventures — which already owns the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC, Toronto Argonauts and other Toronto-based professional teams — will own and operate the WNBA's 14th team.
In a statement, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert spoke about what the move means for the growing league, saying, “Bringing a WNBA team to Toronto represents a significant milestone for our league as we continue to expand both domestically and internationally of the United States. With Larry Tanenbaum's distinguished record of leading successful sports franchises and Toronto's appeal as a dynamic, diverse city that cares deeply about the game of basketball, we are confident that this new team will thrive as a premier WNBA organization and become a great source of inspiration and support for the Toronto area community and across Canada.”
Team owner Larry Tanenbaum added, “Today is a game-changing day not only for women's basketball but for sports in Canada. This franchise will be Canada's team and we are so excited to unite the country and inspire pride and passion in fans from coast to coast.”
The new franchise has yet to choose a name or color scheme, but will play at the Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto with some games played at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Raptors. They also plan to build a state-of-the-art clinic. We think it's safe to assume that Drake and his OVO brand will be as heavily involved with Toronto's new WNBA franchise as they are with the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/drake-toronto-wnba-expansion-team-1235691760/