Candace Parker and Peyton Manning among group tying to take Pat Summitt's legend status to next level with WNBA ownership bid
In a groundbreaking move that would honor the legacy of legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, a star-studded group that includes Tennessee legends Candace Parker and Peyton Manning have come together to present a ownership bid for a new WNBA team in Nashville. Parker and Manning, along with Bill and Crissy Haslam, Faith Hill, and […]
In a groundbreaking move that would honor the legacy of legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, a star-studded group that includes Tennessee legends Candace Parker and Peyton Manning have come together to present a ownership bid for a new WNBA team in Nashville.
Parker and Manning, along with Bill and Crissy Haslam, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw, put in a bid on Thursday to bring a WNBA team to Nashville that would be named Tennessee Summitt in honor of Pat Summitt.
The team would begin play in Bridgestone Arena in 2028 if the bid is successful.
"This is going to be Tennessee's team," said Crissy Haslam to The Tennessean. "There's going to be families with daughters who play basketball, but there are going to be people who don't even know yet that they are going to love this sport."
"Tennessee is the DNA of everything women's basketball stands for," added Parker. "I'm excited to be part of the group working to bring a WNBA team to the state and honor Coach Summitt's legacy."
Summitt, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 64, is one of the most accomplished basketball coaches of all-time.
During her 38 years as the head coach at Tennessee, Summitt won eight national championships, 16 SEC Tournament championships, and she reached 18 Final Fours. Summitt's 1,098 wins are fourth all-time in college basketball behind Geno Auriemma, Tara VanDerveer, and Mike Krzyzewski.
The winning bid is expected to be announced in "five or six months", according to comments from Bill Haslam.
Haslam also noted that he'd love for the franchise to find a way to play some games in Knoxville if the ownership group wins the bid.
