The WNBA has officially awarded its 15th franchise to Portland, as announced on Wednesday. The new Oregon-based team is set to begin play in the 2026 season, alongside an expansion team in Toronto.
The franchise will be owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. The Bhathal family has a history of investing in professional sports, including ownership stakes in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert remarked, “As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward. Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans.”
She added, “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.”
The Portland team will play its home games at the Moda Center, which also hosts the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. This will be the WNBA’s second team in Oregon, following the Portland Fire, which was active in the early 2000s.
