WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026
3 months, 3 weeks ago

WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026

Associated Press  

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. 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. “The decision to choose Portland for the next WNBA team is just as much a recognition of our past as it is about faith in our future,” Kotek said.

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History of this topic

WNBA releases 2025 schedule: The Valkyries’ debut, record games per team and matchups to watch
1 month, 1 week ago

WNBA releases 2025 schedule: The Valkyries’ debut, record games per team and matchups to watch

New York Times  

WNBA teams will play a record 44 games during the 2025 regular season, which begins with a Friday, May 16 slate that includes the Golden State Valkyries’ home debut. In addition to the Valkyries’ first game, the opening weekend of the season features the Indiana Fever hosting the Chicago Sky, the New York Liberty hosting the Las Vegas Aces and …

2024 WNBA season: A historic year for women’s basketball, both on and off the court
2 months, 2 weeks ago

2024 WNBA season: A historic year for women’s basketball, both on and off the court

CNN  

CNN — With confetti falling from the rafters, a boisterous Brooklyn crowd bellowing and the victorious New York Liberty celebrating, the curtain fell on the 2024 WNBA season. “It was this perfect storm of the league growing exponentially, and then you hit this season where the college game really gave the WNBA a boost,” veteran WNBA analyst LaChina Robinson told …

WNBA reveals new expansion team amid huge popularity spike thanks to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Co
3 months, 3 weeks ago

WNBA reveals new expansion team amid huge popularity spike thanks to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Co

Daily Mail  

The WNBA has announced a new expansion team in Portland as the sport continues to enjoy a boom inspired by the likes of Caitlin Clark. The WNBA has announced an expansion team in Portland as the sport continues to boom It comes after the league expanded from 12 franchises with the Golden State Valkyries and a team in Toronto. WNBA …

WNBA announces new expansion team based in Portland, Oregon
3 months, 3 weeks ago

WNBA announces new expansion team based in Portland, Oregon

CNN  

CNN — The WNBA is returning to Portland, Oregon, starting in 2026. “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 statement. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball …

WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026
3 months, 3 weeks ago

WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026

LA Times  

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, shown speaking to the media before the league held its draft in April, said that with the addition of a team in Portland, Ore., the league has “the Pacific Northwest kind of locked in now.” The WNBA is headed back to Portland with the Oregon city getting an expansion team that will begin play starting in …

WNBA 'adds 15th franchise as it agrees to expand to another West Coast city' amid league's plans to bring new teams to San Francisco and Toronto
4 months, 1 week ago

WNBA 'adds 15th franchise as it agrees to expand to another West Coast city' amid league's plans to bring new teams to San Francisco and Toronto

Daily Mail  

Riding a historic wave of success in 2024, the WNBA will reportedly be expanding to Portland with the league's 15th franchise. Saturday's news is another example of the league's rapid growth amid Caitlin Clark's wildly successful rookie season in Indiana. With the arrival of rookies Clark and Angel Reese, not to mention Sabrina Ionescu's breakout season in New York, the …

WNBA will pay for flights for playoffs and back-to-backs. Expansion to 16 teams possible by 2028
8 months, 3 weeks ago

WNBA will pay for flights for playoffs and back-to-backs. Expansion to 16 teams possible by 2028

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The WNBA will once again pay for charter flights for the entire playoffs as well as for back-to-back games during the upcoming season that require air travel, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Monday. We need to be in the right financial position,” Engelbert said before the WNBA draft Monday night. “It will happen before the college draft and …

Potential WNBA expansion team for Portland shelved for now
1 year, 2 months ago

Potential WNBA expansion team for Portland shelved for now

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert says a potential expansion team in Portland has been shelved because of uncertainty about the scope of renovations needed at the Moda Center, where the team would have played. The league had been working with a potential local ownership group, as well as city and state officials, on a team that would play …

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expects to add another expansion team soon
1 year, 3 months ago

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expects to add another expansion team soon

Associated Press  

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert joked Sunday she’ll have to get new shoes now that the league has added one expansion team, with another most likely on the way soon. Portland also has the Sports Bra — the first sports bar dedicated to women’s sports — where Engelbert was part of a panel discussion on the WNBA earlier this year. Obviously, …

WNBA unveils Bay Area expansion team to start play in 2025
1 year, 3 months ago

WNBA unveils Bay Area expansion team to start play in 2025

New York Times  

The WNBA will launch an expansion team in the Bay Area in 2025, the league announced Thursday. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at a Bay Area news conference that the league’s goal “is to have a 14th team by 2025 as well.” When asked about potential cities, she said she’s visited Portland, Denver and Toronto. The Athletic reported last week …

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