Pittsburgh could be the next city to have a professional basketball franchise.
The Steel City is interested in adding another professional sports franchise. Pittsburgh is exploring adding a NBA or WNBA team to the city, per WPXI news.
Pittsburgh’s Sports and Exhibition Authority agreed to pay a consulting firm up to $90,000 for a feasibility study, per WPXI. The study would look at the demand for an NBA or WNBA team in Pittsburgh. It is also looking at the possible economic benefits of bringing a pro basketball team to the city.
Pittsburgh is already the home of three pro franchises: NHL’s Penguins, MLB’s Pirates, and NFL’s Steelers. All three franchises have won at least five championships in their respective leagues, with the Steelers winning 6 Super Bowls. The Penguins are the most recent franchise in Pittsburgh to win a championship, after getting back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
The NBA has expressed interest in expanding, with Seattle and Las Vegas mentioned as possible destinations for new pro basketball franchises. The WNBA is also expanding, with a team coming to San Francisco. The Golden State WNBA team is expected to join the league in 2025.
The city had spent several months evaluating whether to move forward with a feasibility study, per CBS News in Pittsburgh. The Steel City did have a basketball franchise at one time, when the Pittsburgh Pipers and Pittsburgh Condors played in the American Basketball Association in the late 1960s into the 1970s. When the team was known as the Pipers, it won the ABA title in 1968. The team disbanded when the ABA canceled the franchise in 1972. Connie Hawkins played for the Pittsburgh franchise, during those days.
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