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A16 SPORTS
Thursday 19 sepTember 2024
WNBA awards Portland an expansion

franchise that will begin play in 2026

We are so honored and us confidence that pursu- ronto getting the other two.
humbled to be the vessel ing the opportunity would The Golden State Valkyries
that delivers this WNBA fran- be well received by the will begin play next season
chise to Portland,” Lisa Bha- league,” Alex Bhathal said. and Toronto in 2026.
thal said. “And that’s really “The idea of expanding our “It’s nice to have the Pacif-
how we consider ourselves. footprint in Portland and ic Northwest kind of locked
Portland is this incredibly being able to create a plat- in now,” WNBA Commis-
diverse, enthusiastic com- form focused on women’s sioner Cathy Engelbert
munity. We saw the passion sports in the Portland mar- said.
first-hand when we started ket and really being able Engelbert has said she
looking into the Portland to put the foothold and to hopes to have more teams
Thorns and this is Basketball put a stake in the ground by 2028 but doesn’t think
City. So we’re very excited in Portland and make the that the league will be
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks to the media about the future.” mark as the epicenter of a adding any more that will
before the WNBA basketball draft on Monday, April 15, 2024, in The Bhathals started hav- global women’s sport mar- start playing before 2027.
New York. ing conversations with the ket is something that was Portland had a WNBA
Associated Press
WNBA late last year after really compelling and in- team, the Fire, from 2000
By DOUG FEINBERG The team will be owned a separate bid to bring teresting to us and very de- until 2002 when it folded.
AP Basketball Writer and operated by Raj a team to Portland fell serving by the community That franchise averaged
The WNBA is headed back Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal through. of Portland.” more than 8,000 fans when
to Portland, with Oregon’s Merage and Alex Bhathal. “I think from our perspec- It’s the third expansion fran- games were played at
biggest city getting an ex- They paid $125 million for tive, knowing that the chise the league will add the Rose Garden. The new
pansion team that will be- the franchise. league was interested in over the next two years, franchise will play at the
gin play starting in 2026. “This is huge for Portland. coming to Portland, gave with Golden State and To- Moda Center — home of
the NBA’s Trail Blazers. The
Bhathals will build a dedi-
cated practice facility for
the team as well.
The Bhathal family brings
more than 50 years of ex-
perience in professional
sports, including serving as
co-owners of the Sacra-
mento Kings and the con-
trolling owners of the Port-
land Thorns of the NWSL.
Portland has been a strong
supporter of women’s
sports from the stellar col-
lege teams at Oregon and
Oregon State to the Thorns.
The Bhathals bought the
soccer team for $63 million
earlier this year. The fran-
chise is averaging more
than 18,000 fans this sea-
son.
The city also had the first
bar dedicated to women’s
sports — The Sports Bra.
“When you look at our
numbers, not just the
Thorns’ off-the-charts at-
tendance, which is incred-
ible, what you’ve seen, in
Eugene, what you’ve seen
in Oregon State, we knew
that this was going to be
one of the great moments
in sports for Oregon,” U.S.
Sen. Ron Wyden said. “We
saw, February of 2023,
what was possible. So I can
tell you that right now there
are women playmaking in
Portland. They’re rebound-
ing in Roseburg, they’re
hooping in Hermiston. Ev-
ery nook and cranny of our
state is into this.”q