Nashville is getting even cooler with the announcement of a new Women’s Basketball League. This week, the UPSHOT League officially announced its sixth team, introducing a new wave of energy coming to Nashville and bringing the future of women’s basketball with it. The UPSHOT League, a groundbreaking professional women’s developmental basketball league, has notable leadership from legends in the game, Cheryl Miller, Ann Meyers Drysdale, and Tamika Catchings.
The Nashville’s New Home Team announcement was held at the historic Ryman, serving as an exciting move for the city and young girl athletes dreaming of the WNBA. Key team executives, investors, and community leaders shared the stage to deliver the game-changing news and why Nashville was the next city selected in this women’s franchise. “Today is a celebration of Nashville as an already thriving world-renowned sports city. It is about more than women’s professional basketball arriving in a new market; it’s about women’s professional basketball being woven into the fabric of this city. The UPSHOT League and this great ownership are not simply launching a team here; together, we are creating opportunity and building a new home, as grateful and contributing members of this community.” – Donna Orender, Founder & Commissioner of The UPSHOT League.
The UPSHOT League will deliver 17 unique experiences (34 games total) when they take over the court at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Auditorium in May 2027, providing 11 players a chance to play professional, competitive traditional 5-5 basketball. The league will act as a developmental league, providing two-way contracts to players in anticipation of being called up into the WNBA.
During the event, Candice Storey Lee, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs at Vanderbilt, shared the enthusiasm around expanding the opportunity for women in sports. She also looked back at the history of Memorial Gymnasium, reflecting on her own experience and how it has been a part of making court progress. Candice reflected, “It’s where Teresa Phillips and Cathy Bender arrived to play basketball, and let someone like me know that you could look like me, and play at Vanderbilt. It’s where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke almost exactly one year before he was assassinated. It’s where the first integrated high school basketball tournament in the state of Tennessee was held.”
The team name will be unveiled in July 2026, igniting a summer of impact for women’s basketball, powered by a strategic “Dribble Campaign” designed to both partner with and impact communities across the city. This campaign will activate local organizations, youth programs, cultural institutions, and fans, ensuring the league shows up not just on the court, but in the fabric of Nashville itself. Attendees of the event walked away with “Golden Tickets” to kick off the campaign.
Nancy VanReece, former councilmember, has been named as President/CEO. “This is not an add-on to Nashville’s sports story; it is a continuation of its momentum,” said VanReece.
As the event ended with Wendy Moten singing “Lift Every Voice”, it left attendees inspired and excited about the new sports league that is set to make a significant impact in the city.
Follow along with the UPSHOT League as all roads lead to the May 2027 season.
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