Portland is in, now begins the search for team #16
Portland, Oregon is finally getting a Women’s National Basketball Association franchise beginning in 2026. The WNBA now has 15 teams and apparently has hired an outside company to find another market for a team. The WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the WNBA is “on track” to add a 16th franchise in either 2027 or 2028. Portland has been a market of interest for the WNBA for quite a while. In 2022, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden wrote, “a WNBA franchise in my hometown of Portland would be a slam dunk-success for the city and the league. It would grow the sport nationally and further deepen the connection between basketball and the city.” Engelbert did throw up a red flag when it comes to a city to make a pitch. She said a city’s “population, political affiliation and policies, and generational demographics” will play a role in the selection as WNBA players are politically active. Portland did have a WNBA team between 1999 and 2002 and the franchise was not a financial success.
By October 2023, Portland lost its chance to become a WNBA city as Engelbert announced “in light of the potential renovation of the Portland arena currently anticipated to take place during consecutive summers, consideration of a WNBA franchise for Portland will be deferred for now until the timing and scope of the arena improvements are settled.” Apparently, the league is comfortable if the Portland franchise has a temporary home in 2026. “I think Portland has proven they’ll show up for women’s sports and definitely for women’s basketball, so we’re excited to be coming back to the market,” said Engelbert about the league’s return to the city. Meanwhile the league wants a 16th team. The WNBA could kick the tires in Philadelphia, in Denver, in Nashville or in the Miami market looking for a place to play.
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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert