AUSTIN, Texas — A former Texas Longhorns standout has started the push to bring the WNBA to Austin.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said earlier this year that she's "pretty confident" the league will expand to 16 teams by 2028.
The league currently has 12 teams playing with the Golden State Valkyries set to begin playing in 2025. Toronto and Portland will join the league in 2026, with reports that 12 to 15 cities are being considered for one more franchise.
That's where former Longhorns star and Dallas native Fran Harris steps in. Harris led Texas to a 34-0 record and an NCAA national championship in 1985-86 and has spent the last year raising capital and getting Austin's submission ready for the WNBA to consider.
"Austin is the perfect place," Harris said. "It's a free agent's dream. We're competing. We're stepping up to the table like everybody else ... We know that there are other cities that want the WNBA ... but I also believe that Austin is top of the list.
Harris also cited the league's record-setting season in viewership and attendance, which have plagued previous WNBA franchises based in Texas. Austin would become the second active WNBA franchise in Texas, joining the Dallas Wings, who were relocated in 2015 from Tulsa.
Competition is the only thing that may hold Austin back.
"When I started talking to the WNBA last year, they may have been three other cities at the table," Harris said. "Now every week ... someone else is saying, 'I got next, I got next.'"
Harris said she believes the WNBA's decision is going to come down to what city is the most ready for a franchise, which she believes is Austin.
What happened to the Houston Comets?
Still tied for the most WNBA championships in the league's history, the Houston Comets were the league's original dynasty, which Harris witnessed firsthand as a member of the 1997 team.
Led by Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, the Comets won four straight titles as one of the WNBA's founding teams. After a few years of rebuilding, then-Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander put the Comets up for sale.
After the sale, the team moved out of the Toyota Center and into Reliant Arena, which hurt the organization's ability to draw fans. The team was put up for sale again but didn't attract any investors.
The league took over operations before it folded in 2008 due to financial issues and poor ownership. Current Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has reportedly spoken with the league to bring the Comets back.
What happened to the San Antonio Stars?
Originally the Utah Starzz, the franchise relocated in the early 2000s after being sold to then-Spurs owner Peter Holt.
The Stars struggled early on before establishing a solid roster around star point guard Becky Hammon, which led to a WNBA Finals appearance against the Detroit Shock.
The franchise saw little success after Hammon retired, and the Spurs eventually sold the team to MGM Resorts International in 2017, which relocated the team to Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Aces have since become a premier franchise and won back-to-back titles with Hammon as their head coach.
What other cities are being considered?
While the WNBA is keeping quiet about the process and a possible timeline, reports have compiled a shortlist of cities under consideration.
According to Sports Business Journal, Austin is up against Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Miami, Nashville, Charlotte, Denver and possibly Cleveland for the league's 16th franchise. There is also the possibility the WNBA will expand to 18 teams instead of 16 by the end of the decade.