What Happened to Portland Fire (WNBA team)?

The Portland Fire initially joined the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as an expansion franchise in 2000, playing their home games at the Rose Garden (now Moda Center). The team was a counterpart to the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, with Paul Allen, owner of the Blazers, serving as the Fire's chairman. In its three-year history, the team struggled to find consistent success on the court, compiling an overall record of 37-59 and notably becoming the only WNBA franchise to cease operations without ever making the playoffs.

The primary reason for the original Fire's dissolution after the 2002 season was a significant shift in the WNBA's ownership model. The league, which had been collectively owned and subsidized by the NBA, announced that each WNBA team would require individual ownership. Paul Allen, facing financial challenges with the Trail Blazers, opted not to purchase the Fire franchise, leading to its ultimate folding. Despite a group led by NBA legend Clyde Drexler and Terry Emmert expressing interest, a deal could not be finalized. This left Portland without a WNBA team for 24 years, a period during which an entire generation of fans grew up without professional women's basketball in the city.

However, Portland's strong support for women's sports, exemplified by the success of the NWSL's Portland Thorns FC, laid the groundwork for a WNBA return. In February 2023, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert visited Portland, signaling renewed interest. An initial bid for an expansion team in October 2023, with tech billionaire Kirk Brown as the planned owner, fell through due to disagreements over team branding and a potential conflict of interest. A key turning point came in early 2024 when RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, acquired the Portland Thorns. Leveraging their commitment to women's sports, RAJ Sports successfully secured a WNBA expansion franchise for Portland, officially announced on September 18, 2024, for a record-setting fee of $125 million.

On July 15, 2025, the new ownership announced that the team would revive the name 'Portland Fire,' honoring the city's WNBA history while forging a new path. Vanja Černivec was named General Manager on August 25, 2025, and Alex Sarama was hired as the franchise's first head coach in October 2025. The team participated in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft on April 3, 2026, making its first selections to build the inaugural roster, including Bridget Carleton as the first overall pick. The Portland Fire officially began its 2026 WNBA season in May, with its home opener on May 11, 2026, against the Chicago Sky. This game set a WNBA attendance record for an expansion team's home opener, with 19,335 fans. As of May 30, 2026, the Fire are exceeding expectations with a winning record of 5-4, demonstrating a strong and competitive start to their new era. Furthermore, a $150 million joint training facility, the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center, shared with the Portland Thorns, is scheduled to open in August 2026, underscoring the long-term commitment to professional women's sports in Portland.