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.

Bill Haslam, former governor of Tennessee and current chairman of the Predators, is submitting an expansion bid to bring a Women’s National Basketball Association team to Nashville in 2028.