News of the Nashville bid comes in the midst of a growth period in the WNBA, which intends to expand to 16 teams by 2028.

Haslam and a group of investors are submitting an expansion bid to bring Nashville a WNBA team, called the Tennessee Summitt. The bid will be submitted on Thursday afternoon to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league’s expansion committee. If successful, the franchise would begin play in the summer of 2028 at Bridgestone Arena.

Former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam, country music stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and former University of Tennessee star Candace Parker are