Tennis legend Serena Williams floated a potential return to sports in a new role — as a WNBA owner.
During an interview with CNN on Monday, the 23-time Grand Slam champion said she would be glad to join the league if an ownership opportunity became available.
“I absolutely would be [interested],” the 42-year-old said. “With the right market, I would definitely be super interested in that.”
The opportunity for Williams could widen soon.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressed expansion plans for the growing league before Monday’s rookie draft.
“It’s complex because you need the arena and practice facility and player housing and all the things you need, committed long-term ownership groups,” Engelbert told reporters. “The nice thing is we’re getting a lot of calls. We’re continuing to engage with cities.”
The WNBA is slated to expand to 13 teams in 2025, with a new franchise in the San Francisco area. Engelbert said the league hopes to field 16 teams by 2028.
“Women’s sport is having a moment that it should have always had,” Williams said. “It’s time to lift up other sports. Women’s soccer, women’s basketball, there’s so many other sports that women do so great, let’s put it on that platform that tennis is on.”
Williams has already built an ownership portfolio in the National Women’s Soccer League — she became a founding owner of Angel City FC in 2020.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.