Boston Celtics superstar, NBA champion, four-time All-NBA selection, and six-time NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum is joining a $200 million bid to bring an expansion WNBA team to his hometown of St. Louis. The bid will be backed by billionaires Richard Chaifetz and David Hoffman. Chaifetz has experience from previous  bids for NBA, MLB, and NFL teams, while Hoffman owns a minor league hockey team affiliated with the St. Louis Blues. Chaifetz Arena, named after Richard Chaifetz, at St. Louis University is a possible venue for the team.

The WNBA is planning to add its 16th team in 2028. Many other cities are bidding to gain the new team. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is involved in an offer that would bring a team to Kansas City. Many owners of NBA teams, such as the owners of the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, and Cleveland Cavaliers, are all pushing to add a WNBA team to their cities. Star NBA player Kevin Durant just submitted a bid to his alma mater’s college town, Austin, Texas. 

Another particularly interesting bid is for Nashville, Tennessee, which is backed by WNBA legend Candace Parker, NFL hall of famer Peyton Manning, and the NHL Predators owner Bill Haslam. They would name the team the Tennessee Summitt in honor of the late University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach, Pat Summitt. Other cities competing for this spot include Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Denver.

St. Louis has a rich basketball history as the former home of the St. Louis Hawks from 1956 until 1968 when they moved to Atlanta. Adding a WNBA team to the city would be good for the national brand of St. Louis. Since the NFL Rams franchise left St. Louis, there has been a significant decrease in mentions of St. Louis in national media. A new WNBA team could bring back some of the benefits that were lost when the Rams left.

Tatum grew up in University City and takes great pride in being from St. Louis. He tries to give back to the city by hosting free basketball and leadership programs for youth, donating to refurbish basketball courts throughout the city, and partnering with local organizations through the Jayson Tatum Foundation. 

Tatum also has plenty of money to make this venture happen, having just recently signed a $315 million contract with the Boston Celtics for five years. This bid was able to come about because of a change in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement, which allows NBA players to own up to 4% of WNBA franchises.

St. Louis already has a women’s professional basketball team, the St. Louis Surge, which competes in the Global Women’s Basketball Association (GWBA). The team often competes in the gyms of WashU and Fontbonne and they are five-time regional and two-time national champions. 

Since the Golden State Valkyries will be added this upcoming year, followed in 2026 by the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, it would be exciting for St. Louis to join that list and have a WNBA team by 2028.