Head of MWBA says women’s basketball poised to keep growing in Nova Scotia

As women’s basketball continues to gain popularity in Atlantic Canada, a leader in the sport says the WNBA’s expansion with a team in Toronto is only going to here in Nova Scotia.

Last week, the America-based WNBA announced it would be launching its first team in Canada with plans to start play in 2026.

This is good news, according to the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association’s league commissioner, who says more exposure to the sport will only grown the game at a local level.

Jen McKenzie tells CityNews Halifax with the seven-team MWBA league halfway into its third season, it is already seeing bigger crowds show up to games in Nova Scotia.

“It has skyrocketed,” says McKenzie. “Our fanbase has grown, we have expanded into Miramichi, New Brunswick, there’s other communities that in our radar that we are starting to meet with (and) we are getting youth groups involved.”

McKenzie adds she not been in contact yet with the WNBA, but she hopes as 2026 gets closer, a relationship will forge between the Maritime league and the American league.

Our municipality is represented by two teams in the MWBA including the Halifax Hornets and the Halifax Thunder, who are currently tied for the top spot with the Lake City 56ers at ten points on the season.