The financial difficulties would be numerous with regard to the creation of a franchise of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Montreal. However, the arrival of a team from the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the metropolis would be more plausible.
“When we talk about an NBA team, it can cost five billion US dollars,” estimates RDS sports columnist and former NBA employee in Europe, Ray Lalonde.
This colossal sum is only used to buy the franchise. Once the team is acquired, the amounts to be paid are numerous.
“A new amphitheater will cost at least a billion. Another training center, which will cost several hundred million and a salary ceiling which will reach, within a few years, 200 million,” explains Mr. Lalonde.
“I really doubt that in the long term we can support an NBA team”
Benoît Séguin, full professor in sports marketing at HEC Montréal
Several American cities are interested in acquiring an NBA franchise, such as Las Vegas, Seattle or San Diego, which makes the competition even fiercer for Montreal.
The Bell Center as a shelter?
“The Bell Center is almost 30 years old. If the NBA is expanding, strategically speaking, I imagine a new arena is part of the package. Why would you go play in an arena that is 30 to 40 years old? », asks Mr. Lalonde.
So how do you finance a new arena? “It doesn’t often happen in Quebec that people pay for the amphitheater themselves. It is often the government that must contribute somewhere and that creates a reaction from the public,” points out Mr. Lalonde.
The Bell Center is aging in comparison to modern arenas, such as the Los Angeles Clippers, which cost about US$2 billion to build. “The fact remains that the Bell Center is not an arena like we see them today,” admits Benoît Séguin.
Partisan money
To sustain a sports team in the long term, investments from supporters are essential. Derived products, boxes or season subscriptions are sources of income that can ensure the survival of a sports team.
“The issue that exists in Montreal and Quebec is that we do not have sufficient critical mass at the financial level to make such investments profitable. [une équipe de la NBA] over time,” judges professor of sports marketing at UQAM André Richelieu.
Ray Lalonde mentions for his part that “it has not been proven, for the moment, that Montreal could absorb an NBA team in the state of the city, with a hockey team which takes up a lot of space”.
What about the WNBA?
“I think it could perhaps be more feasible to go for a WNBA franchise than an NBA team,” said Benoît Séguin.
With Caitlin Clark as the headliner, the WNBA is growing bigger and bigger. In 2026, Toronto will become the first city outside the United States to host a league team.
The cost of acquiring a WNBA franchise is much more affordable. In Toronto, the company Kilmer Sports Ventures paid around US$50 million to obtain its own.
Jo-Annie Charbonneau, president of the Montreal Alliance, a team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, thinks “we would still have an appetite for women’s basketball in Montreal.” She saw the interest in basketball grow in the metropolis. The Montreal Alliance is in its third season and the enthusiasm does not seem to be stopping.
Women’s professional sport is booming in Montreal. For example, the Montreal Victoire hockey team had a full house at the Bell Center last April. It will play its regular season at Place Bell, an arena with around 10,000 seats. The Montreal Roses, a soccer team founded in 2024, will be part of the Super League of the North. A team in the WNBA could be part of this momentum and thus further advance professional women’s sport in Montreal.
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