Charlotte Crown debut marks city’s return to women’s pro basketball since 2007

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Is Charlotte ready for another women’s professional basketball team? We’re about to find out.

The Charlotte Crown begin play this week in the brand new Upshot League, which states its goal as “uplifting players, fans, and communities.”

The Crown are set to become the city’s first women’s pro team since the Charlotte Sting disbanded in 2007, and hope to build off of the growing women’s basketball game, which has included big crowds at Spectrum Center for Ally Tipoff events in recent years.

The Crown will play its home games at Bojangles Coliseum, and features five North Carolina natives on the roster, including two Charlotteans.

Charlotte also features former UNC player Deja Kelly.

“It speaks volumes about how fast the women’s game is growing and how many opportunities are being created,” Kelly said.

The team will be coached by former college head coach and WNBA player Trisha Stafford-Odom.

“When the fanbase grows and we have sellouts with regularity and tickets are hard to find, and little girls are asking for autographs, that will be successful,” Stafford-Odom said. “I get emotional because I can see it happening.”

The league includes also features the Jacksonville Waves, Savannah Steel and Greensboro Groove.

Charlotte begins the season on Friday at Jacksonville and plays its first home game at Bojangles Coliseum on May 21.

Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.

You can stream WCNC Charlotte on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, just download the free WCNC+ app to get the news that impacts you.