Featured image credit: Moda Center
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is set to return to Portland for the first time in over two decades after the Oregon city was today (Wednesday) awarded the league’s 15th franchise.
The Portland team, set to begin play in the 2026 season, will be owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who have paid a $125m (£94.5m/€112.4m) fee for the franchise, according to the Associated Press.
Portland is the third expansion franchise awarded by the WNBA during this round of expansion, following the Golden State Valkyries and a Toronto franchise, bringing the league from 12 to 15 teams.
The WNBA in October awarded an expansion franchise to the Golden State Warriors, with the new outfit to begin play in 2025 at the NBA team’s home arena, Chase Center. That marked the first new WNBA franchise announcement since 2008.
In May, the league confirmed that a new franchise will launch in Toronto in 2026, becoming its first team outside of the US. The franchise will play its home games at the Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto.
The new Portland team will play its home games at the Moda Center, home of the NBA’s Trail Blazers. The new team marks the WNBA’s return to Portland following the Fire’s three-season stint from 2000-02.
The latest expansion announcement comes amid the WNBA’s historic 28th season. In addition to announcing three new teams, the league in recent months has shattered records for viewership, attendance, merchandise sales, social media engagement, digital subscriptions (WNBA League Pass) and app downloads.
“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
“Portland has been an epicentre of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”
Portland has long been linked to an expansion franchise, with the WNBA in November delaying a decision on launching a new team amid concerns over the timeline of potential renovation work at Moda Center.
Lisa Bhathal Merage will serve as controlling owner and WNBA governor, while Alex Bhathal will serve as alternate governor. The Bhathal family bring more than 50 years of experience in the professional sports industry, including serving as investors of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and controlling owners of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns.
Ms. Merage’s husband, Richard Merage, will also join the buyer group as an investor and executive board member of Portland WNBA. Mr. Merage is the CEO of MIG Capital, an investment management firm he co-founded in 2006 following the sale of his family’s business, Chef America, to Nestle.
“For decades, Portland has been the global epicentre of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicentre of women’s sports,” said Lisa Bhathal Merage. “We believe in the transformative power of women’s sports and are thrilled that the W will call Portland home.
“We know that Portland’s vibrant and diverse communities will highly support and rally around this team. Our goal is to grow this organisation in partnership with the Portland community and we look forward to supporting the best women’s basketball players in the world when they take the floor at the Moda Center in 2026.”
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