Jayson Tatum jumps at chance to bring WNBA to STL

Jayson Tatum’s impact as an NBA superstar was signed, sealed, and delivered when he helped guide the Boston Celtics to an NBA Finals win over Dallas last June.

With his first title in hand, Tatum is interested in making an entrepreneurial move into ownership of an expansion WNBA franchise in his hometown of St. Louis.

Jacob Feldman of Sportico reported more than a week ago that Tatum “informally agreed to invest in the team should it come to fruition and contribute behind the scenes to the group’s pitch, both to other potential big-name investors and the league itself.”

Influential Saint Louis University alum and billionaire Richard Chaifetz would be part of the ownership group along with David Hoffman, according to Sportico.

Chaifetz has stated interest in bringing an NBA franchise to St. Louis, and the arena where SLU men’s and women’s basketball teams play is named for him and his family.

Hoffman, a real estate developer, owns a St. Louis Blues minor league affiliate and has recently purchase a few small to mid-size newspapers throughout the nation. He is interested in purchasing the St. Louis Post-Dispatch if Lee Enterprises were to put it up for sale.

Noa Dalzell, who covers the NBA and WNBA for The Source, asked Tatum about his WNBA plans during a Celtics shootaround on Nov. 1, 2024.

“I can’t speak on it too much right now, but there will be a time when I can, and I’ll be able to elaborate,” Tatum told Dalzell.

An NBA player can own up to 4% of a WNBA franchise. While Tatum is not a billionaire, he is on track to become the first NBA player to net $1 billion solely on his respective NBA compensation.

Tatum is a true champion of his native St. Louis, and his Jayson Tatum Foundation has been a force in the non-profit arena since its inception in 2017. Nothing could stand in the way of St. Louis landing a WNBA franchise with Tatum on board, right?

It might not be that easy.

Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany, members of the Kansas City Current Women’s National Soccer League franchise ownership group, want to bring a WNBA franchise to our neighbor to the West.

“It was cool that we were able to get this soccer team here in the Current and they’re going into the playoffs now and you see the support that they have,” Mahomes told ESPN.

“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.”

Mahomes has become the biggest name in American sports over the past seven years. The NBA and WNBA would certainly love to have his elite brand as part of an expansion franchise.

Face it, folks. Missouri is not getting two WNBA franchises. This in-state battle is just beginning. Stay tuned.

The Reid Roundup

If Jayson Tatum and St. Louis do land a WNBA franchise, the team should simply drop the “s” from our former ABA franchise name and be called the St. Louis Spirit. The franchise should also petition the NBA ad WNBA to use red, white and blue basketballs during home games…After Monday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns were off to an impressive 4-1 start of the season. Beal, a St. Louis native, was averaging 17.3 points and 4.5 assists per game. He missed a game because of a sprained elbow…Speaking of the 76ers, All-NBA center Joel Embiid missed the first two weeks of the season because of a knee injury, insulted fans who dared to criticize him, and verbally threatened and shoved Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. Hayes chastised Embiid’s NBA work ethic and his lack of conditioning in the column, which included a mention of Embiid’s son and late brother. That is what set Embiid off…The Miami Marlins are among the cheapest franchises when it comes to player payroll and could be considering a trade for low-cost St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, according to reports.