Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes wants to bring WNBA team to Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he sees the effort to bring a WNBA franchise to Kansas City as the next logical step for the ownership group of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current.

“We want to get basketball to Kansas City in general and then WNBA. The success that they’ve had this last season and these last few seasons, it’s kind of a no-brainer,” said Mahomes, who along with his wife, Brittany, is an investor in the Current. “To try to get a WNBA team in Kansas City to this fan base — you see it if you talk about University of Kansas basketball, the Chiefs or whatever it is — the city of Kansas City is going to come out and they’re going to fill the stadium.

“It was cool that we were able to get this soccer team, this women’s soccer team here in the Current and they’re going into the playoffs now and you see the support that they have. So let’s try to get a WNBA team in here as well [with] that same ownership group. They’ve done the Current the right way, and I want to continue to work with them to take that next step and get a WNBA team here.”

Kansas City has long had the infrastructure for a professional basketball franchise, building the T-Mobile Center in 2007 with the hopes of luring an NBA or NHL club to town. Those teams never materialized, but the building has remained busy hosting concerts and other sports events, including the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments each March.

The WNBA is expanding by three teams over the next two seasons with Golden State, Portland and Toronto pushing the total number of franchises to 15. And while league commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said the WNBA would like to add a 16th team by the 2028 season, Kansas City is expected to have competition from St. Louis, Philadelphia and several other cities

Mahomes also owns a piece of the Kansas City Royals and Sporting Kansas City (MLS).

“Kansas City is such a great place for me,” Mahomes said. “It’s a place that I call home. It’s a place that I built a house at and that I’ll be for a long, long time. I think being involved in the community as much as possible [is important] and I love sports. I know how much the city loves sports, so let’s bring as many sports in here and showcase how great Kansas City is not only as a city, but the people that are in the city as well.

“We feel like Kansas City is a great place to continue that growth, but we have to battle with other cities to prove why we can sustain and have a great franchise here.”

Mahomes said he wants to be an owner in professional sports when he’s finished playing football, and those plans include women’s sports.

“I just know how much sports has given to me,” Mahomes said. “Whenever I’m done playing football — whenever that is — and I have to venture off into life after football and chasing kids around and everything like that, I want to be able to still be a part of it. … And then, at the same time, showcase to my daughter that she can follow her dream and go out there and execute on whatever that dream is.

“I’ve met players and women from other sports that I’ve kind of been around, including my wife, and see that they didn’t get some of the same things that I got coming up — as far as the resources and the facilities and stuff like that. So, I want to give them those same resources, those same facilities. … I want to continue to work in women’s sports as long as I can.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.