Latest news with #GretchenSheirr
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Houston group not giving up on landing WNBA team after missed expansion bid
The WNBA may have announced expansion franchises in three new cities Tuesday but Houston is not giving up on landing a WNBA team. Gretchen Sheirr, the Houston Rockets president of business operations, said that a group led by Tilman Fertitta will continue to pursue a team for the city. Houston bid for a franchise in the recent expansion round but the WNBA decided to award teams to Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland instead. Advertisement 'The addition of three WNBA expansion teams is a testament to the trajectory of the league and the excitement surrounding women's basketball,' Sheirr said in a statement. 'While we are disappointed not to have been awarded a team at this time, we remain optimistic about the future. The Houston Comets played a vital role in shaping the league's history, and Houston's passion for basketball remains as strong as ever.' The WNBA will stand at 18 franchises after those three cities come into play by 2030. The league has announced plans for six expansion teams in the past three years. So far, the Golden State Valkyries are the only one to begin play. The Toronto Tempo and a team in Portland will join the league next season. On Monday, commissioner Cathy Engelbert left the door open for more franchises and said Houston was high on that list. 'One of those I wanted to shout out because they have such a strong history in this league, and they're a great ownership group — Houston. … That's the one we have our eye on,' Engelbert said. 'Tilman has been a great supporter of the WNBA, and we'll stay tuned on that.' Advertisement She added, 'Houston would be up next for sure. There might be opportunities there.' Engelbert said having first-class arenas for franchises to play in was important in each of the three cities they selected being awarded teams. Houston would have played its games at the Toyota Center, home of the Rockets. Outside of expansion, there are other opportunities for Fertitta to bring a WNBA team back to Houston. The Connecticut Sun are currently exploring a sale, including one that could bring in a new controlling owner, and Fertitta could choose to take the route of buying the Sun and relocating them to Houston. The city previously had a WNBA team from 1997 to 2008. The Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles in the league's history and served as its first dynasty. Comets players won four of the first six MVP awards, too. Cynthia Cooper won the award in the league's first two years and Sheryl Swoopes won in 2000 and 2002. Advertisement The Comets disbanded in 2008 after the team's owner could not find a buyer for the franchise. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Houston Texans, Connecticut Sun, WNBA, Sports Business 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
20 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Houston group not giving up on landing WNBA team after missed expansion bid
The WNBA may have announced expansion franchises in three new cities Tuesday but Houston is not giving up on landing a WNBA team. Gretchen Sheirr, the Houston Rockets president of business operations, said that a group led by Tilman Fertitta will continue to pursue a team for the city. Houston bid for a franchise in the recent expansion round but the WNBA decided to award teams to Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland instead. Advertisement 'The addition of three WNBA expansion teams is a testament to the trajectory of the league and the excitement surrounding women's basketball,' Sheirr said in a statement. 'While we are disappointed not to have been awarded a team at this time, we remain optimistic about the future. The Houston Comets played a vital role in shaping the league's history, and Houston's passion for basketball remains as strong as ever.' The WNBA will stand at 18 franchises after those three cities come into play by 2030. The league has announced plans for six expansion teams in the past three years. So far, the Golden State Valkyries are the only one to begin play. The Toronto Tempo and a team in Portland will join the league next season. On Monday, commissioner Cathy Engelbert left the door open for more franchises and said Houston was high on that list. 'One of those I wanted to shout out because they have such a strong history in this league, and they're a great ownership group — Houston. … That's the one we have our eye on,' Engelbert said. 'Tilman has been a great supporter of the WNBA, and we'll stay tuned on that.' She added, 'Houston would be up next for sure. There might be opportunities there.' Engelbert said having first-class arenas for franchises to play in was important in each of the three cities they selected being awarded teams. Houston would have played its games at the Toyota Center, home of the Rockets. Outside of expansion, there are other opportunities for Fertitta to bring a WNBA team back to Houston. The Connecticut Sun are currently exploring a sale, including one that could bring in a new controlling owner, and Fertitta could choose to take the route of buying the Sun and relocating them to Houston. The city previously had a WNBA team from 1997 to 2008. The Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles in the league's history and served as its first dynasty. Comets players won four of the first six MVP awards, too. Cynthia Cooper won the award in the league's first two years and Sheryl Swoopes won in 2000 and 2002. The Comets disbanded in 2008 after the team's owner could not find a buyer for the franchise.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rockets to introduce ‘ClutchBot' as generative artificial intelligence mascot
The Houston Rockets and Theta Labs, a provider of decentralized cloud infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI), media, and entertainment, recently announced the launch of 'ClutchBot' as the NBA team's novel, AI-powered mascot. According to the developers, 'ClutchBot' is being built to enhance digital fan experiences and provide real-time information on the team's official website. It will also act as a digital mascot for fans to engage with at any time. The mascot will utilize a custom AI agent specifically trained on the Rockets and NBA data to answer fan inquiries about upcoming games, tickets, lineups, stats, venue information, and team news. As ThetaLabs explains, 'ClutchBot' will provide accurate, up-to-date answers in real-time from Houston's database and the NBA API. The collaboration is aimed at fostering a more immersive and accessible fan experience. With deep knowledge of the Rockets and the NBA, the plan is for the interactive 'ClutchBot' mascot to be offiially unveiled for the start of the 2025-26 season this fall. 'This partnership with Theta Labs enables us to provide a more personalized and engaging fan experience on our website and mobile app,' said Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations with the Rockets. 'Clutch has long been a fan favorite, and with the relaunch of our digital 'ClutchBot' with enhanced functionality, we're excited to offer fans real-time answers powered by state-of-the-art technology.' More: With 2025 gala, Rockets bring record-breaking fundraising haul to Clutch City Foundation This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets to introduce 'ClutchBot' as generative AI mascot
