Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta: 'It's time to step up' and land a WNBA franchise

The Houston Rockets are putting together a proposal to bring a WNBA franchise back to the city but are currently awaiting further instruction from the league’s representatives, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and president of business operations Gretchen Sheirr confirmed Tuesday.

Although Fertitta had expressed his desire and intent to fund a Houston WNBA team multiple times in recent months, he had not previously disclosed details about talks with the league or a timeline. On Tuesday, at the grand opening of the Rockets’ new training facility, Sheirr said that she is leading the proposal and has engaged with an independent firm hired by the WNBA to lead the expansion process.

In its current round of expansion, the WNBA has awarded franchises to three cities — the San Francisco Bay Area, Toronto and Portland — to begin play in 2025 and 2026, and is looking to add a 16th team before 2028.

Sheirr said the WNBA has yet to set a deadline for interested parties to submit proposals.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/tilman-fertitta-wnba-expansion-proposal-19789571.php