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Is Portland Getting a WNBA Team?

The WNBA Has Awarded Portland an Expansion Franchise That Will Begin Play in 2026

· Sep 18 - 3 minutes read

A New Market

WNBA rumors are hot and heavy that Portland, Oregon, may be getting a WNBA franchise. And from what we understand, the franchise could be in operation for the 2026 season!

Is Portland Getting a WNBA Team? — WNBA logo is shown on the court - Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The @WNBA is expanding with a 15th franchise returning to Portland! 🔥🏀

This follows new teams in the Bay Area and Toronto. #WNBA #Portland pic.twitter.com/ggjevWnELH

— LockerRoom RAW (@LockerRoom_RAW) September 18, 2024

Caitlin Clark Is the Main Event

There have been several special moments this season in the WNBA, and Caitlin Clark has been the focal point of many of them. Recently, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson made WNBA news by becoming the first player in the history of the league to score 1,000 points in a single season, while Clark broke the rookie scoring record.

We should also point out there is another rookie this year who has turned heads with an eye-popping number of rebounds and now holds the record for the longest double-double streak within one season in WNBA history, the Sky’s Angel Reese.

But without Clark, few would know about Wilson’s record-breaking season or Reese’s crazy double-double streak. The league has more popularity than ever before, and, much to the chagrin of her jealous detractors, it’s all because of Caitlin Clark. People who never knew women’s pro basketball even existed are now watching WNBA games on the daily.

top 2, and she ain’t 2.

Caitlin Clark ranks No. 1 among rookies all-time in points, assists and threes 😮‍💨

(h/t @StatMamba) pic.twitter.com/nCMm3lCnH7

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 16, 2024

And it is also because of Clark that the Indiana Fever are nestled in sixth place in the WNBA standings and have clinched a playoff spot for the time in eight years. Clark has been a lightning rod for this league, and it’s because of her that you will be seeing a brand-new franchise in Portland for the 2026 season.

A Basketball City

According to breaking reports, Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, will be owners and operators of the new WNBA franchise in Portland. The league fetched a whopping $125 million for the franchise, the largest sum ever paid for a WNBA expansion team.

“This is huge for Portland. We are so honored and humbled to be the vessel that delivers this WNBA franchise to Portland,” Lisa Bhathal said. “And that’s really how we consider ourselves. 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.”

Bhathal also added, “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 really being able to put the foothold and to put a stake in the ground in Portland and make the mark as the epicenter of a global women’s sports market is something that was really compelling and interesting to us and very deserving by the community of Portland.”