Ever since it was officially announced on June 30 that Philadelphia would be receiving a WNBA franchise, the biggest question surrounding the new team, set to debut in 2030, has been around what they will name the franchise.
Fans have speculated for years, but now, as the city is a major step closer to realizing this possibility, odds makers are stepping into the conversation and have the first round of potential names for Philadelphia’s newest professional sports team.
According to PennStakes.com, a site that provides the latest odds, promos, and bonuses for Pennsylvania bettors, four names have come to the forefront as the early favorites, while an outside name remains a possibility.
Philadelphia WNBA Team Name Odds
| Team Name | Odds | Probability |
| Freedom | +320 | 23.8% |
| Independence | +375 | 21.1% |
| (outside name) | +420 | 19.2% |
| Liberty Belles | +425 | 19.0% |
| Revolution | +500 | 16.7% |
All four favorites draw inspiration from Philadelphia’s historically revolutionary spirit and reflect the city’s longtime focus on the empowerment of the people.
The Freedom also has a connection to another former professional sports franchise in the city, the Philadelphia Freedoms, a tennis team that was a part of the World Team Tennis league. The team was owned by tennis star Billie Jean King, and served as the joint inspiration, alongside King, for Elton John’s hit song, titled Philadelphia Freedom.
Could a retro name be in order?
While Philadelphia has never had a WNBA franchise, this will not be the city’s first female professional basketball team.
From 1997 to 1998, the Philadelphia Rage competed in the since-flagged American Basketball League. While the team was short-lived, it played a role in the history of women’s professional basketball and was the original pro-team home of Philadelphia’s own Dawn Staley, who would go on to become one of the biggest stars in the WNBA and one of the greatest coaches in NCAA basketball history.
So could the return of the Philadelphia Rage be in order? It’s certainly one of many possibilities, and an intriguing one with the possibility of the Rage’s former star becoming the team’s first head coach.
