Utah was awarded one of eight inaugural franchises in the Women's National Basketball Association, a professional league that begins play in June.
The NBA-sponsored circuit, which has already secured national television contracts with ESPN, Lifetime cable and NBC, made the announcement Wednesday.Utah will join Los Angeles (Lakers), Phoenix and Sacramento in the Western Division, while Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston and New York form the Eastern Division.
"The eight charter WNBA teams collectively will bring to women's basketball state-of-the-art buildings, proven management in professional basketball and some major media markets, which we believe will providean excellent foundation for the launch and long-term growth of the WNBA," said league president Val Ackerman.
NBA teams will operate the franchises. Team names and logos, as well as schedules, will be released in February. The first WNBA Draft will be held in April with training camps slated for late May. Regular season play begins June 21 with the league championship game set for Aug. 30.
Olympic team members Rebecca Lobo and Sheryl Swoopes have already committed to play in the new league.
A committee comprised of representatives from the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic recommended the locations of the charter franchises.
Former Utah Jazz president Dave Checketts was among those on the committee.