SAN ANTONIO – The WNBA San Antonio Stars team shared a message with fans about their decision to relocate from their San Antonio home of 15 years.
Earlier this year, Spurs Sports and Entertainment submitted an application for expansion by Major League Soccer. Mayor Ron Nirenberg said he doesn't believe the team is making the move to get an MLS team in place.
"This is a business decision that in the life cycle of the WNBA was expected from the Spurs organization, so there is a lot of change occurring within the WNBA," Nirenberg said.
Before coming to San Antonio, the Utah Starzz launched in the summer of 1997. After six seasons in Salt Lake City, the franchise relocated to San Antonio in December 2002.
READ MORE: WNBA San Antonio Stars announce relocation to another city
"The reason why the Spurs made that business decision is because within their organization and within San Antonio was not making an impact, so they made a decision in the best interest of the community," Nirenberg said.
Nirenberg said he was informed by the Spurs yesterday about the move.
Later this month, Nirenberg is supposed to meet with MLS officials.
"We've been ready to meet with them for quite some time, so we are just trying to make sure that the commissioner’s schedule aligns," Nirenberg said.
KSAT contacted the Stars, and the team declined to comment.
While San Antonio may be losing a pro team, the mayor still believes San Antonio can compete with other big cities.
"I believe San Antonio is a big-league city. How big that gets will be part of our future," Nirenberg said.
