Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- UPSHOT League is not affiliated with the WNBA, operating as an independent professional women's basketball league.
- Six UPSHOT players earned WNBA developmental contracts during or following the 2026 season.
- Tampa has hosted the NCAA Women’s Final Four four times, most recently in 2025.
- Garland Cooper says Tampa is an "incredible sports city" with a ready fan base rallying around women's basketball.
- Fans can join the "Name the Team" campaign at tampaupshot.com; official name and logo to be unveiled on Dec. 1.
TAMPA, Fla. – A Jacksonville-based professional women’s basketball league is bringing a team to the Bay Area.
Tampa UPSHOT League expansion team
The backstory:
The UPSHOT League announced Tuesday that Tampa will be home to its newest professional women’s basketball franchise, bringing another sports team to the area.
The yet-to-be-named franchise will take the court for its inaugural season in May 2027, playing games at the USF Yuengling Center. Tampa joins Baltimore and Nashville as the league’s latest expansion markets.
The UPSHOT League wrapped up its inaugural season in August with four teams: the Jacksonville Waves, Savannah Steel of Georgia, Charlotte Crown of North Carolina and Greensboro Groove of North Carolina.
“Women’s sports, women’s basketball has taken off over the last several years, and there’s just a ton of talent and not enough roster spots. So that’s how the UPSHOT League was born,” Garland Cooper, president of UPSHOT Tampa, said. “Tampa being an incredible sports town was just an obvious choice for an expansion team headed into the 2027 season.”
Tampa Bay women’s sports history
Local perspective:
Tampa has hosted the NCAA Women’s Final Four a record four times — most recently in 2025. The Bay Area has also hosted the Florida High School Girls’ Flag Football State Championships for three consecutive years. And the area also welcomed the Tampa Bay Sun FC in 2024 – adding to the hometown squads that already included the Buccaneers, Lightning, Rays, Rowdies and Tarpons.
“It’s an incredible sports city, right? There’s tons of professional sports, and they’ve hosted the Women’s Final Four [in] basketball. There’s a fan base for women’s basketball specifically, but it’s just a great community,” Cooper said. “Like, people here rally around the sports and rally together. And we’re just so excited to be part of that.”
While the UPSHOT League is not affiliated with the WNBA, six UPSHOT players secured WNBA developmental contracts during or following the 2026 season.
‘Name the Team’ campaign
What you can do:
Starting Tuesday, the team is launching a “Name the Team” campaign. Fans are invited to submit their ideas for the franchise’s identity, with the official name and logo scheduled to be unveiled on Dec. 1.
Fans can submit their name ideas online at tampaupshot.com.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the UPSHOT League and statements provided by UPSHOT Tampa President Garland Cooper.
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