The WNBA’s aim is to expand to 16 teams by 2028.
We know which cities will soon be joining the current 12-team W in the coming years. Next year will see the San Francisco Bay Area (Golden State Valkyries) make its debut into the WNBA and the 2026 season will be the first for the league’s new Toronto.
With the Valks as Team No. 13 and Toronto as Team No. 14, this has produced plenty of speculation as to which cities will comprise Team Nos. 15 and 16.
We may have an answer to at least one of those questions. Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report has revealed that the Bhathal family, who are also owners of the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, is on the verge of landing a WNBA franchise for Oregon.
If this flirtation between Portland and the WNBA seems all too familiar, it is because there was an effort to bring a franchise to the Rose City some months ago that nearly was successful but collapsed in the eleventh hour.
The statement from the league referenced in the above tweet looks eerily similar to a statement the WNBA released when Shireen Ahmed of the CBC broke the news regarding Toronto expansion.
This looks to be a confirmation-non confirmation that the deal is done and hopefully it does not encounter any eleventh-hour hiccups the way the previous try did. Here are a few thoughts regarding what looks to be an upcoming expansion to Portland.
Rivalry with Seattle
The most obvious element of this that comes to mind is we are about to experience a WNBA that is placing a lot of emphasis on west coast rivalries.
When the Valkyries debut next season, the Northern California-Southern California rivalry they will have with the Los Angeles Sparks will be a storyline of future WNBA seasons. One can even say there is a similar geographical dynamic with the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces. This team will certainly have a similar rivalry with the Seattle Storm.
Professional basketball is about to be re-introduced to a Seattle-Portland rivalry for the first time since the days of the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Supersonics.
One more team
If this is indeed true that Portland has landed Team No. 15 then that means only one expansion berth is up for grabs.
Taking into consideration the Portland team, it would mean that two cities on the western half of North America will have landed teams along with the one in Toronto on the eastern half of the continent.
If the WNBA were to expand to a city such as Denver or Houston, then it would likely prompt a move of a team like the Minnesota Lynx to the Eastern Conference. That would not be a problem if a city such as Charlotte or Philadelphia got the W’s final nod.
NBA connections
As was the case with the Golden State and Toronto bids, this ownership group also has NBA connections.
In addition to being owners of the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, the Bhathal family also are co-owners of the Sacramento Kings. The Rose Garden Report noted that the relationship that the Bhathal family had with the NBA was essential to them beating out a consortium that included former Trail Blazers great Damian Lillard to get the nod.
The Valkyries will be under the same umbrella as the Golden State Warriors. The Toronto effort is headed by Larry Tanenbaum and Teresa Reach. Tanenbaum is chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) the entity over the Toronto Raptors as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC and Scotiabank Arena. His Kilmer Sports Ventures spearheaded the Toronto WNBA effort. Resch is the former Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Raptors.
Home Arena
Part of the reasoning that was given by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for why the Kirk Brown-led effort was unsuccessful was because of renovations the Trail Blazers had planned for the Moda Center. This assessment by Engelbert was eventually walked back.
According to The Rose Garden Report, the plan is for the Portland team to play its games at the Moda Center eventually. The Bhathal family appears to have found a workaround in terms of this situation.
The report suggests that the team could initially play at Veterans Memorial Coliseum (which has a capacity of 12,000) while those renovations take place. Once they are complete, Moda Center would be the full-time home of the new team.
Date and Time
An announcement is expected for September 10 that will include the Bhathals. One can expect Engelbert to show up as well as other local and statewide leaders from Portland and Oregon.
The same day, three WNBA games are slated to take place. Those include the Minnesota Lynx facing the Atlanta Dream at 7:30 p.m. eastern on NBA TV, the New York Liberty and Dallas Wings at 8 p.m. eastern/7 p.m. central on CBS Sports Network and the Connecticut Sun vs. Los Angeles Sparks at 10 p.m. eastern/7 p.m. pacific on League Pass.
