The WNBA is returning to Canada for its second exhibition game in the country, sending the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm to Edmonton on May 5.
The Sparks and Storm will play a preseason game at the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, Rogers Place.
Last year, the Chicago Sky beat the Minnesota Lynx 82-74 in a preseason game in Toronto. The game sold out and set records for broadcast viewership in the country, according to the WNBA.
The league’s return to Canada comes on the heels of reports that the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, parent company of the NHL’s Maple Leafs and NBA’s Raptors, is pursuing a WNBA expansion team.
The Sparks recently traded with the Storm to acquire Kia Nurse, who hails from Hamilton, Ontario.
“One of Canada’s greatest basketball players, Sparks guard Kia Nurse, is returning to play in front of her Canadian fans as my Los Angeles Sparks take on the Seattle Storm,” Sparks co-owner Magic Johnson said in a news release. “Showcasing some of the league’s top talent in Canada is a great opportunity to continue building dedicated WNBA fans outside of the U.S. Last year’s game was a sellout and I expect nothing less for the Sparks versus Storm.”
The WNBA regular season begins May 14.
–Field Level Media