The team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. They paid $125 million for the franchise.
The WNBA is headed back to Portland with the Oregon city getting an expansion team that will begin play starting in 2026."This is huge for Portland. We are so honored and humbled to be the vessel that delivers this WNBA franchise to Portland," Lisa Bhathal said. "And that’s really how we consider ourselves. Portland is this incredibly diverse, enthusiastic community. We saw the passion first-hand when we started looking into the Portland Thorns and this is Basketball City.
Portland had a WNBA team, the Fire, from 2000 until 2002 when it folded. That franchise averaged more than 8,000 fans when games were play at the Rose Garden. The new franchise will play at the Moda Center — home of the Trail Blazers. The Bhathals will build a dedicated practice facility for the team as well.
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