WNBA commissioner says the league intends to continue to add new teams, renewing hope the Rose City at long last gets a franchise.
The commissioner of the WNBA says the league intends to continue to add new teams, giving hope to women’s sports boosters in Portland.
Portland was left out of recent league expansions due to concerns over the lack of an acceptable practice facility and needed improvements to two potential sites, the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, according to reporting by The Oregonian and Portland Business Journal.
But commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters at the recent WNBA All-Star game that another expansion draft will occur most likely in December, though she did not list possible expansion locations. A draft lottery will occur prior to the conclusion of the NCAA season.
“We’ll make final decisions and make those announcements in the coming months,” Engelbert’s quoted as saying.
In 2022, Engelbert confirmed the city was being considered as the home of the league’s 14th team. Supporters of women’s sports have wanted to bring a WNBA team to Portland since at least 2002, when the Portland Fire left after only two seasons. Boosters have spread messages on posters and billboards around the city and circulated petitions signed by thousands.
Last year, Engelbert and other league officials visited Portland to discuss expansion options but came away with concerns over finding a suitable venue, according to emails released to The O and PBJ. Physical issues with the building were cited as well as with the city potentially canceling the Moda Center’s lease in 2025. A letter signed by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) assured the league a WNBA team would be able to play at Moda until at least 2030.
But in September, a prospective owner, ZoomInfo founder Kirk Brown, dropped out at the last minute citing numerous issues with the league. Among their differences of opinion, Brown reportedly wanted to name the franchise the Rose City Royalty, a name that made the league uncomfortable, according to the Oregonian. Two months later, the WNBA’s concerns with the viability of the Portland market were confirmed in a letter from Engelbert to Wyden.
Instead, the WNBA announced its latest franchise would reside in the Bay Area, awarding a new women’s team to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. The Golden State Valkyries are the sixth WNBA team partnered with an NBA team, along with the Brooklyn Nets (New York Liberty), Indiana Pacers (Indiana Fever), Minnesota Timberwolves (Minnesota Lynx), Phoenix Suns (Phoenix Mercury) and Washington Wizards (Washington Mystics).
The WNBA’s fortunes have been rising in recent years, with record television viewership in 2023 and many of its stars receiving mainstream buzz, according to The New York Times. Jersey sales are up by a factor of eight over last year. Much of the attention is driven by a new crop of stars including rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Local officials have pressed hard for a WNBA team. During Engelbert’s 2023 visit, she was the guest of honor in a panel discussion at the Sports Bra, a women’s sports bar in Sullivan’s Gulch, alongside representatives of the Portland Thorns, Trail Blazers and the athletic departments of University of Oregon and Oregon State University.
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