The latest WNBA expansion news still feels surprising. After all, you rarely get to witness the moment when a seismic shift is set in motion.

But that’s exactly what happened when Commissioner Cathy Engelbert awarded franchises to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in a history-making press conference. Over the next five years, the league will add five new franchises. (That number includes teams in Toronto and Portland that will start playing next season.) By 2030, the WNBA will be home to a record 18 teams.

“This is far more than an expansion of our league,” said Engelbert in her opening remarks. “It’s an evolution of it.”

That statement makes for a nice sound bite. It’s also an accurate reflection of what lies ahead for the league.

Between now and 2030, historic, rapid expansion will transform the league in dramatic, fundamental and undoubtedly

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