WNBA sells out its first-ever game held in Canada as the Chicago Sky face the Minnesota Lynx

The WNBA held its first ever game on Canadian soil in front of a sold-out crowd in Toronto on Saturday.

The pre-season game between the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx was played at the home of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

If the sold-out arena was anything to go by, it was another sign that the growth of professional women’s basketball isn’t limited to the United States and that there’s a growing demand for it in Canada’s largest city and financial capital.

It was a celebration of women’s basketball that perhaps sowed the seeds of an expansion franchise in the Great White North.

The game was broadcast live on three networks in Canada and the United States, featured an all-female, all-Canadian team for the broadcast, and prompted the city to declare May 13 “Welcome WNBA Day” to mark the occasion. to celebrate.

The Chicago Sky faced the Minnesota Lynx Saturday at the home of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors

“So excited to be here in Toronto, this is an important moment for this league,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said before the game. ‘We are very happy with the reception.’

In the days leading up to the game, a 10-foot sculpture of the WNBA logo—a player going to the basket with her hair in a bun—was set up at various locations in downtown Toronto at various locations in downtown Toronto , also in the arena on Saturday.

Fans took pictures with the statue and were encouraged to sign the orange fiberglass shell that sat atop a two-tiered round white base that read, “Together we make history.” Signed, Toronto.”

Celebrating its 27th season, the WNBA has sparked a lot of interest in Canada, where average regular season viewership has increased 95 percent over the past three years, along with jumps in merchandise sales and social media engagement.

“These are all important markers from fans looking to deepen their involvement with the (WNBA) property,” said Leah MacNab, senior vice president of NBA Canada.

The WNBA has held games outside the United States twice before, but unlike the one-off events in Mexico (2004) and England (2011), the Toronto exhibition could well be the first step toward a permanent team in the city .

With many players falling through the cracks each year in a 12-team draft, it forces some to go abroad to play given the lack of available space in North America’s longest-running women’s professional sports league.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league was pleased with the Canadian reception

The WNBA last expanded in 2008 with the addition of the Atlanta Dream, and Engelbert has been open about wanting to add more franchises, possibly by the start of the 2025 season.

Engelbert said the WNBA began looking at 100 cities in Canada and the United States for potential expansion opportunities about 18 months ago and that Toronto “scored really well” and is on the short list of about 10 cities.

“Toronto is very high on the list,” said Engelbert. “Toronto is definitely on the list, but we will continue to work on that throughout the season and hopefully we will have something to announce later.”

“As we begin this transformation, and we’re well into it now, I think the time for expansion is now ripe and ready.”