WNBA adds 15th franchise with return to Portland

The WNBA on Wednesday announced it has awarded Portland as the league's 15th franchise.

The move comes less than 11 months after WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert wrote a letter to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), saying that Portland's bid for a new club would be "deferred" due to the upcoming remodeling of the city's NBA arena.

Portland previously entered the WNBA as the expansion Fire in 2000, however the franchise folded after the 2002 season.

The new team will begin play in 2026 and is owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by controlling owner and WNBA governor Lisa Bhathal Merage and alternate governor Alex Bhathal. They are also the majority owners of the NWSL's Portland Thorns.

"As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward," Engelbert said. "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."

Said Bhathal Merage: "For decades, Portland has been the global epicenter of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicenter of women's sports. We believe in the transformative power of women's sports and are thrilled that the W will call Portland home. We know that Portland's vibrant and diverse communities will highly support and rally around this team."

Portland is the third expansion franchise awarded by the WNBA during this round of expansion, following the Golden State Valkyries and a Toronto franchise. The Valkyries will begin play in 2025 at the Warriors' team arena in San Francisco, while the Canadian team will join the league in 2026 and contest its home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto.

--Field Level Media