Tulsa Gets Closer to Gaining WNBA Team


Tulsa is getting closer to securing a WNBA franchise, Oklahoma City businessmen Bill Cameron and David Box announced Wednesday at the Tulsa Press Club's Page One Luncheon.

The duo have spearheaded a group of investors that is seeking to become the newest professional women's basketball franchise.

Cameron said the group is 75 percent toward its goal.

"We still have a lot of work to do," he said. "We've come a long way. We've made tremendous progress. The biggest obstacle is familiarizing people with the product. There's a great basis for girls basketball at the high school level in the Tulsa metro area. But at the pro level, people aren't familiar with the product.

"People who have seen the excitement level with Sherri Coale's team at Oklahoma can see the potential, but again it's familiarizing them with the product and the entertainment value."

The Tulsa World learned Wednesday that a $5 million investment is needed to begin the process, and reportedly the group is close to that financial goal.

But there are other key components to be met, such as securing the BOK Center for 17 home dates and obtaining corporate sponsorships.

Negotiations between the investment group and the WNBA are proceeding, Cameron said.

"We're still facing a Sept. 1 deadline, but (WNBA president) Donna Orender has agreed to give us a few more weeks," Cameron said. "We're in good shape with our investors. We're looking for corporate sponsorship with suites, loge boxes and club
seats in addition to season ticket sales."

Orender made a quick stop in Tulsa on Tuesday, meeting with potential investors and corporate sponsors, Cameron said.

Several fans were in attendance Wednesday and expressed excitement with the project.

"For our city, this is huge," said former Oklahoma State and Booker T. Washington football standout Melvin Gilliam. "We've always been known as a city too small to be big, but too big to be small. This is a huge, huge step for our city, being able to support major league sports. Look at Oklahoma City, everyone said they were too small. What they are doing (with the NBA) is tremendous. I think this is the tip of the iceberg for Tulsa."

Box announced that SpiritBank and owner Kell Kelly had joined Bank of Oklahoma as corporate sponsors.

"If we can sell 5,000-6,000 tickets per game, we can be successful," Box said.

Cameron said that the group hopes to get a quarter of its revenue from corporate sponsorships and about half of its revenue from ticket sales.

Negotiations are continuing with Nolan Richardson as the team's coach.

Source: Tulsa World