WNBA: Candace Parker part of expansion bid for Tennessee Summitt

Earlier this week, our Chelsea Leite pulled tarot cards in an effort to divine what might happen in the WNBA in 2025. She interpreted the Aces of Cups, the first card she drew, as a sign of new beginnings, writing that, “Like it or not, this is not the WNBA of the past. The league is entering a new era, transforming into something new.”

Will a 16th WNBA team in the state of Tennessee be part of the league’s transformation?

On Thursday, a group of famed Tennesseans, headlined by Candace Parker, Peyton Manning and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, submitted a bid to the WNBA for franchise that would begin play in 2028. Bill Haslam, a former Tennessee governor who now is chairman of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, is the leader of the group. The team would be called the Tennessee Summitt, named in honor of the late, great Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Pat Summitt.

The bid also includes a planned practice facility that also would be used for youth basketball, while the team would play in Bridgestone Arena, home of the Predators.

As Parker said in her Instagram post introducing the bid:

Tennessee is the DNA of everything women’s basketball stands for,” Parker said in a statement. “I’m excited to be a part of the group working to bring a WNBA team to the state and honor Coach Summitt’s legacy.

Haslam likewise insisted:

We believe a WNBA team, based in Nashville, could serve as a beacon for girls and women, young and old, across Tennessee, while also creating more opportunities for sports fans as our community continues to grow.

Pat Summitt’s son, Tyler, also has offered his support to the bid.

Nashville joins Cleveland, which formally announced a bid in Oct. 2024, in the competition to become the WNBA’s 16th team.