WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026
The WNBA is headed back to Portland, with Oregon's biggest city getting an expansion team that will begin play in 2026
The WNBA is headed back to Portland, with Oregon's biggest city getting an expansion team that will begin play in 2026.
The team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who also own the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League. They paid $125 million for the franchise.
“This is huge for Portland. We are so honored and humbled to be the vessel that delivers this WNBA franchise to Portland,” Bhathal Merage said. “And that’s really how we consider ourselves. Portland is this incredibly diverse, enthusiastic community. We saw the passion first-hand when we started looking into the Portland Thorns and this is Basketball City. So we’re very excited about the future.”
Some 300 invited guests attended a kickoff event at Portland's Moda Center on Wednesday afternoon with the Bhathals, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and other state and local officials. Afterward, there was community-wide event outside the stadium.
