Wed Sep 18 15:51:51 UTC 2024: ## Portland to Welcome Back WNBA Team in 2026
The WNBA announced today that Portland, Oregon will be the home of the league’s 15th franchise, set to begin play in the 2026 season. The expansion comes after the league awarded franchises to Golden State and Toronto, with the Golden State Valkyries set to compete starting next year.
The new Portland team, which will be owned by Raj Sports, will play its home games at Moda Center, sharing the venue with the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. A new training center is also planned for the team.
The ownership group, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, secured the franchise after a $125 million deal. This marks the return of WNBA basketball to Portland, which last hosted a franchise, the Portland Fire, from 2000 to 2002.
“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”
Lisa Bhathal echoed the excitement, expressing pride in bringing the WNBA back to the city. “This is huge for Portland. We are so honored and humbled to be the vessel that delivers this WNBA franchise to Portland. Portland is this incredibly diverse, enthusiastic community. We saw the passion firsthand when we started looking into the Portland Thorns and this is Basketball City. So we’re very excited about the future.”
Alex Bhathal added that the ownership group was drawn to the opportunity to establish a strong presence in Portland’s women’s sports landscape. “The idea of expanding our footprint in Portland and being able to create a platform focused on women’s sports in the Portland market… and to put a stake in the ground in Portland and make the mark as the epicenter of a global women’s sport market is something that was really compelling and interesting to us and very deserving by the community of Portland.”
The WNBA’s continued expansion is a testament to the league’s growing popularity and its commitment to reaching new markets. Portland’s return to the league is sure to energize the city’s passionate basketball fans and further solidify the WNBA’s place as a premier professional sports league.
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