Portland gets WNBA expansion franchise, will be league’s 15th team

The WNBA made it official Wednesday, awarding Portland a long-awaited expansion franchise. The team will start play in the 2026 season.

PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s been a 22-year wait, but the WNBA is finally returning to Portland.

The official announcement came down Wednesday morning that the Women’s National Basketball Association has awarded an expansion franchise to Portland. The team will begin play in the 2026 season.

A team name and logo will be announced at a later date. During a Wednesday news conference at the Moda Center, Lisa Bhathal Merage, who will serve as controlling owner and WNBA governor of the new Portland WNBA team, said they plan to involve the community in the process of choosing a name for the team.

RELATED: Portland sports fans thrilled following announcement of WNBA expansion

Portland had a WNBA team for three seasons, from 2000 until the team folded following the 2002 season. The Portland Fire were a popular draw, with more than 8,000 fans attending games at the Rose Garden on game nights, which ranked in the middle of the WNBA at the time.

The ownership group bringing a WNBA franchise back to Portland is led by the Bhathal family, which also owns the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League. The family, via RAJ Sports, are also principal co-owners of the Sacramento Kings (NBA), the Sacramento RiverCats (MiLB, AAA) and Stockton Kings (NBA G-League).

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was at the Moda Center for Wednesday’s news conference. She lauded the “exponential” growth of the WNBA and said it’s become clear that “Portland has become an epicenter of women’s sports.”

Portland is joining back up with the WNBA at an ideal time. The league is as popular as it has been in years. Attendance is up to an average of 9,311 fans per game this season, up from 6,615 last season, and ESPN reported in July that viewership of WNBA games on the network is up 183% compared to last season.

And the Rose City is an ideal fit for the WNBA, with proven interest in college women’s basketball at Oregon and Oregon State, and one of the most dedicated fan bases in the NWSL with the Thorns, who rank third in the league in attendance this season.

“For years, Portland has been the global capital of sports lifestyle and today is the day we claim it as the global epicenter of women’s sports,” Bhathal Merage said during Wednesday’s news conference. “From the historic success of the Portland Thorns to the growing momentum around women’s basketball, it happens here. There is no better place for this team to thrive. Portland is at the forefront of a movement that is shaping the future of women’s sports, and we are proud to be a part of that history.”

Longtime Portland columnist John Canzano wrote that over the past 18 months, the Bhathal family emerged as the leader among three ownership groups that vied to bring a WNBA team to Portland. Canzano said the Bhathal family paid a $125 million fee for the franchise rights.

The team will play its home games at Moda Center, but while that arena undergoes renovations between now and 2030, when the NCAA Women’s Final Four comes to Portland, the WNBA team may play some of its home games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. During its first season in 2026, home games will be played at the Moda Center.

Alex Bhathal, who will serve as alternate governor for the Portland WNBA team, announced an ambitious goal during Wednesday’s news conference: to sell 20,000 season ticket deposits before the inaugural season tips off in 2026. Capacity at the Moda Center is 19,393.

“Twenty thousand in 2026,” Bhathal said. “That sounds pretty good. So let’s go do it together.”

If the Portland franchise reaches that goal, it would put them on pace with another expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, which opens play in the 2025 season. The Valkyries announced Friday that the franchise has collected more than 17,000 season-ticket deposits, a new record for the WNBA.

The new WNBA team should provide an economic boost to the Portland region. Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who has been instrumental in helping bring the WNBA back to Portland, said Wednesday that the team will bring thousands of fans out for games during the season, which runs from May to September. Those fans will book hotel rooms and visit restaurants and bars before and after the games, Wyden said.

Wyden also said Wednesday that was texting back and forth all day with Oregon Ducks legend Sabrina Ionescu, now a star point guard for the New York Liberty (who just happens to be a free agent in 2026). “She is so fired up for what you all did,” Wyden said. “She’s been with us every step of the way.”

Other revelations from Wednesday’s news conference:

Practice facility: Bhathal said the Portland WNBA ownership group is “fully committed to building a world-class state-of-the-art practice facility.” He said it’s the right thing to do “for player welfare” and to attract the top talent in the WNBA to Portland. He did not provide further details on this, including timeline information.
Hiring and new jobs: Bhathal said the team is hiring now and looking for great people to help them build a great organization. “Please spread the word,” he said. Said Bhathal Merage: “We feel excited about the opportunity to pull from the Portland community and create more jobs and create something really great together.”
Revitalization of Portland: Dewayne Hankins, president of business operations for the Blazers, talked Wednesday about what this new team means for the revitalization of the city. “The addition of the WNBA to Portland … helps us play a key role in revitalizing Portland’s Central City. And that starts right here and it starts right now. We’re proud of the work we’re doing with the Albina Vision Trust and the Albina Rose Alliance, which will obviously accelerate the transformation of Lower Albina into a vibrant culture and economic hub.”
Strength of the WNBA: Bhathal said the “incredible” growth of the WNBA was a clear selling point for the ownership group. “Where we are today is incredible. The trajectory is incredible,” he said. “We talked about all the growth trajectory that the league is on, both from the amazing stories with the players, the fan experience, the sell-out crowds, the media deals that are driving new economic opportunities, the corporate sponsorships, the ability to create this flywheel effect of economics that help and support all stakeholders in the league. … As we look to the future, all we see is opportunity.”

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