Nashville Consortium with Prominent Celebrities Proposes Bid for New Franchise

A team consisting of Candace Parker, Peyton Manning, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill presented a proposal on Thursday to bring a new WNBA team to Nashville.

Former governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam, who is set to become the majority owner of the NHL's Nashville Predators in July, and his wife Crissy, would be the owners of the WNBA franchise.

"This will be Tennessee's team," stated Crissy Haslam to The Tennessean. "There will be families with daughters who play basketball, but also people who don't yet know that they will love this sport."

The group has already chosen a name for the team - Tennessee Summitt.

The team would be named in honor of the renowned Tennessee college women's basketball coach, Pat Summitt. Parker, who played for Summitt, who won eight national titles in 38 seasons as the coach of the Volunteers.

Summitt passed away in 2016 at the age of 64 due to Alzheimer's.

"Tennessee is the foundation of everything that women's basketball represents," said Parker, a former WNBA star, in a statement. "If you know me, you know how significant and influential Coach Summitt is in my life. She brings out the best version of myself as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, teammate, and person. I am honored that we are submitting a bid to the @wnba today for a franchise to be named in her honor."

Nashville's proposal is for the team to begin playing in 2028. The team would play at Bridgestone Arena, the home of the Predators.

Manning played college football at the University of Tennessee. McGraw and Hill have been prominent country music stars for three decades and are married.

The WNBA is expanding with new teams in Golden State, Portland, and Toronto over the next two seasons, bringing the total number of teams to 15. Cleveland has also announced a bid for an expansion team.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has expressed a desire to add a 16th franchise by the 2028 season.