The WNBA is coming back to Portland as the league officially announced Wednesday, Sept. 18 that a team will suit up in the Rose City starting in 2026. Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report first broke the news back in August.
Getting to the finish line hasn’t been easy as Portland was expected to receive a team earlier when the momentum to add it was led by ZoomInfo cofounder Kirk Brown last fall.
However, Brown’s ownership fell through according to multiple reports, and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Moda Center renovations played a part, but did later state the ownership issue was more pressing.
Enter the Bhathal family, who bought the Portland Thorns NWSL club back in January and had immediate interest in getting the WNBA back to town.
“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a press release. “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 Merage and her brother Alex Bhathal have been running the Thorns, and the family also includes Raj Bhathal, the principal co-owner of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. Lisa will be controlling owner and WNBA governor while Alex will serve as alternate governor.
With a trusted and vetted family leading the charge, last-minute snags like the one with Brown were avoided and opened the door for the announcement on Wednesday. And Portland Trail Blazers owner Jody Allen played a crucial part as well in getting the WNBA to Portland to continue the city's rich history in women's sports.
“For decades, Portland has been the global epicenter of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicenter of women’s sports,” Lisa Bhathal Merage said in a press release. “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. Our goal is to grow this organization in partnership with the Portland community and we look forward to supporting the best women’s basketball players in the world when they take the floor at the Moda Center in 2026.”
A press conference is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Moda Center to delve further into the details of the WNBA coming to Portland.
Portland is set to be the WNBA’s 15th team as the Golden State Valkyries will become team No. 13 when they begin play next season. A team was also announced for Toronto back in May that will begin in 2026 alongside Portland.
Engelbert has acknowledged that the league’s plan is to get to 16 teams by 2027, something it desperately needs with extreme growth in women’s basketball viewership and participation. Not only that, but the lack of teams has led to many talented players being left off rosters.
“Portland has a passion for women’s sports and the teams who play in the Rose City, making us the ideal home of the next WNBA team,” Governor Tina Kotek said in a press release. “From the Thorns to the Rose City Rollers to the Sports Bra, Portland embraces a diversity of athletes and fans. This is an exciting new chapter for our city and our state.”
As for a team name, that is still to be determined for Portland. The city’s previous team was named the Portland Fire when it competed in the WNBA back in 2000-2002.
The new Portland team will play at the Moda Center as well, but could spend some time at Veterans Memorial Coliseum due to planned renovations to Moda and the Rose Quarter over the next six years.
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