Less than a year ago, Portland’s hopes for a professional women’s basketball team were dashed, when the WNBA announced franchises would go to San Francisco and Toronto, but not the Rose City.
But those dreams were reignited — and realized — after the WNBA announced Wednesday it would award a team to Oregon, bringing women’s professional basketball back to the state for the first time in more than 20 years. The team will start play in 2026.
FILE: The Moda Center, home to the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team and the recently announced WNBA that will start play in 2026.
Don Ryan / AP
Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, will own and operate the team, having paid $125 million for the franchise. Their company already owns the city’s professional soccer team, Portland Thorns. The owners of now two teams in the city said they hope to grow Portland’s brand as a destination for women’s sports.
“We felt very strongly from the very beginning that this was the right place for the WNBA and from the moment our conversations began with the league, our convictions were solidified,” Alex Bhathal said.
Portland nearly found itself in a similar position last year. Talks were ongoing between the league and ZoomInfo co-founder Kirk Brown, but fell apart before any announcement was made. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden at the time that she was concerned about upcoming renovations at the Moda Center.
But, according to reporting from the Oregonian/Oregon Live, Brown pulled out of the agreement in November following disagreements about the look of the new team, including its potential name.
From left, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, Lisa Bhathal Merage, Alex Bhathal and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler at the announcement of Portland receiving a WNBA team at the Moda Center on Sept. 18, 2024.
Joni Land / OPB
Engelbert told reporters in Portland on Thursday that talks with the Bhathal family began shortly after Brown withdrew, and discussions quickly gained steam.
“We’re trying to be very thoughtful about expansion,” she said. “Everything happens for a reason and I’m thrilled we met the Bhathals… in the end, it was a positive.”
Chris Oxley is the board president for Sport Oregon, a Portland-based nonprofit that promotes sports-related tourism in the region. He said an agreement between the city of Portland and the Trail Blazers for a new lease for the Moda Center likely played a role in cementing a team in the city.
Having multiple people in an ownership group, such as the Bhathals, also makes a prospective franchise more appealing for a league.
“I think we’re poised as a city to welcome a new women’s sports franchise in a way that not a lot of other markets may be ready for,” Oxley said.
Big questions remain unanswered about this new team: its name, colors and front office staff, for example. Lisa Bhathal Merage said they will likely “open up” the naming process to the public for suggestions.
Alex Bhathal said the team will play its first season in the Moda Center. They might have to temporarily play next door at Veterans Memorial Coliseum for two seasons, while the Moda Center undergoes renovations during the WNBA’s summer schedule.
The announcement comes during a year of surging growth for professional women’s sports, especially the WNBA. Portland is the third expansion team announced by the league in the past year, as television ratings have skyrocketed since the addition of star player Caitlin Clark.