Will the Oakland Coliseum be the home of a new WNBA franchise?

(Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)

(OAKLAND, Calif.) An Oakland-based development company wants to buy the city's share of the Coliseum site with the intention of bringing a professional women's basketball team to play in the same arena the Warriors won multiple championships in.

African American Sports and Entertainment Group founder Ray Bobbitt told The East Bay Times Monday that its organization is working with the Women's National Basketball Association to bring a WNBA team to Oakland.

Shonda Scott, one of Bobbitt's partners, may be the best person to secure a possible WNBA team as she is an Oakland native who played basketball at Holy Names High School.

The Coliseum Authority board will discuss a lease and licensing agreement Friday during its board meeting, which will kick off the official request from community leaders in Oakland to get a WNBA team.

Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan told The Times in a text that "Oakland ... is a perfect place for a new WNBA team."

The WNBA team would be a key part to a redevelopment plan Bobbitt views as critical to revamping that area of East Oakland.

"East Oakland really needs the development," Bobbitt said.

Bobbitt's group's $92.5 million bid to buy the city's portion of the Coliseum site, the company would partner with African American-owned investment firm Loop Capital, Oakland developer Alan Dones and sports agent Bill Duffy.

Bobbitt's group is one of a number of organizations looking to purchase the city's stake in the Coliseum site. The A's organization has offered to buy the site for $85 million. Former A's pitcher Dave Stewart reportedly offered $115 million for the city's share. Other potential buyers include Tripp Development and the Renaissance Companies, owned by Floyd Kephart.

Oakland's city council is expected to approve a term sheet for African American Sports and Entertainment Group but it's unclear whether other buyers will be part of this discussion.

Notably, the city council is expected to consider a non-binding term sheet for the A's Howard Terminal project that same day. The A's organization is looking for a promise from the city to keep negotiations afloat about the waterfront ballpark proposal.

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