The WNBA’s exponential financial growth has reached a staggering new milestone, and NBA legend Chris Bosh is making sure fans understand the magnitude of the moment. Following the historic announcement that Cleveland will become the home of the WNBA’s 16th franchise, officially named the Cleveland Sirens, the 2x NBA champion took to social media to celebrate the W’s trajectory and put the team’s massive expansion fee into a mind-boggling historical perspective.

Captioning his post, “The @wnba continues to grow adding a 16th franchise. The Cleveland sirens set for 2028! #Wnba.”, the Hall of Famer reacted to the news that Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group, paid a jaw-dropping $250 million to secure the rights to the Sirens in a passionate video addressed to his followers.

“Women’s basketball continues to grow at a rapid pace. Yesterday the Cleveland Sirens were unveiled as the 16th team of the WNBA,” Bosh said in his video.

To illustrate just how far the business of professional basketball has come, Bosh drew a direct parallel to one of the most famous team acquisitions in modern sports history.

“Very exciting times, the women’s game is growing, and check this out: $250 million was the expansion fee that Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment had to pay. Think about this. Just think about this for a minute: Mark Cuban bought the Mavericks for $285 million back in 2000. I remember that day as a Dallas guy. I remember that day, and look how much the league has grown.”

Bosh highlighted how a WNBA expansion fee today is nearly equivalent to the purchase price of an entire NBA franchise just over two decades ago.

“You can see the investments being made in basketball, in particular the women’s game,” he added.

He punctuated that comparison with, “Congratulations to the Sirens, congratulations to Cleveland. Looks like it’s gonna be a good time.”

For Bosh, the message to fans is simple.

“The W continues to evolve, continues to grow, continues to add another team after adding two franchise teams this year. Summer of 2028, that’s when they start. So if you haven’t watched the W, watch the W. Basketball is basketball. It’s a great game. And I mean, there’s not much other than the W for summer basketball right now. So check them out, watch the ladies play great basketball… WNBA is growing.”

The introduction of the Cleveland Sirens serves as the ultimate proof of concept for the WNBA’s current media and financial explosion. By commanding a $250 million fee, the league has shattered previous precedents.

For context, Mark Cuban famously bought a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks for $285 million in 2000, a team he recently sold a majority stake in for a staggering $3.5 billion valuation.

The fact that a WNBA franchise is now commanding an initial buy-in comparable to an NBA team’s turn-of-the-century valuation reflects a seismic shift in sports business. The Golden State Valkyries became the first franchise in women’s professional sports to reach a $1 billion valuation this year.

The Sirens are joining the rapid wave of WNBA expansion, which includes teams in Toronto and Portland. Dan Gilbert is leveraging his Rock Entertainment Group to bring professional women’s basketball back to Ohio for the first time since the Cleveland Rockers folded in 2003.

With the Sirens debuting in 2028, the ownership group has ample time to capitalize on the surging viewership driving the league.