With the Golden State Valkyries slated to debut next year as the WNBA’s 13th team and a Toronto team slated to take the court in 2026, W fans remember Cathy Engelbert’s goal of wanting 16 teams by the year 2028.
That means there has to be a 15th team before there can be a 16th – and number 15th had the WNBA feeling awfully rosy.
Portland – which previously had a WNBA franchise in the early portion of the W’s history – has made its triumphant return to the league.
Thanks to a reported $125 million put forth by RAJ Capital, Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, Portland will debut in 2026 alongside Toronto.
As expected, a number of luminaries from both the basketball and political sides were on hand at the Moda Center for the occasion – including Engelbert, U.S. Senator from Oregon Ron Wyden, the Bhathal siblings, Portland mayor Ted Wheeler and Kym Hampton. Hampton played three seasons with the New York Liberty and currently resides in Oregon.
This announcement took place on September 18, a week after the initially reported date of September 10 that it was to be made. Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report had the scoop on both dates.
It also came after a previous bid to bring the WNBA to Portland that was led by ZoomInfo’s Kirk Brown nearly was a winning effort but collapsed in the eleventh hour.
Without further ado, here are five takeaways from Wednesday’s announcement.
Moda Center
The location of the announcement itself was a story because it has been reported by Highkin that Moda Center will be the home court of the franchise for its scheduled 2026 debut.
The venue, that is the home court of the Portland Trail Blazers, is also slated to undergo renovations prior to it hosting the Women’s Final Four in 2030. It has been reported that Veterans Memorial Coliseum could be the temporary home of the team from 2027-2029.
Blazers presence
Even though the new franchise will be independent of Oregon’s NBA franchise, it is clear that the Trail Blazers will be important partners in this newfound WNBA Portland effort.
One of those who spoke at the news conference was Dewayne Hankins – the President of Basketball Operations for the Trail Blazers. He mentioned how the Moda Center will not only be ready to host the Women’s Final Four in 2030 but also a future WNBA All-Star weekend.
The last time an All-Star weekend took place in the Pacific Northwest was in 2017 – when it was held at the old KeyArena up Interstate 5 in Seattle.
Ron Wyden
Rip City is now a WNBA city.
–Ron Wyden, U.S. Senator from Oregon
The above was the proclamation from what was a very enthusiastic and animated U.S. senator.
Wyden mentioned that he had been texting back and forth with the Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu who, of course, played her collegiate basketball at Oregon. With the renewal of the I-5 rivalry, Wyden mentioned how he and his fellow Senator from Washington, Maria Cantwell, plan to be on hand for the tip-off of the first game between Portland and the Storm.
Oregon and women’s sports
Much was made during the event about how Portland has had such a connection to the rise of women’s sports these past few years.
Fans around the country know about The Sports Bra, a much-ballyhooed sports bar in Portland that exclusively airs women’s sports events on its televisions. In addition, the Bhathals also own and operate the NWSL’s Portland Thorns.
Alex Bhathal is also aware of how the Valkyries recently went over 17,000 season ticket deposits prior to its scheduled debut next year. Given Portland’s place in women’s sports, he wants Oregon to top the Valks and has set a goal of 20,000 season ticket deposits.
One more team…
With Portland becoming Team No. 15, this means only one expansion spot is up for grabs to reach Engelbert’s goal of 16 teams prior to 2028.
The Sports Business Journal is reporting that there are bids looking to put up around $200 million. Cities reportedly interested include Philadelphia and Miami.
In addition, there was this news that broke out of Houston from Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.
