• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Front Office Sports Honors winners are here! View the 2025 winners

Portland WNBA Team Will Be Fire, Bigger Choices Loom

Team leadership says the decision to bring back the Fire was about honoring the WNBA’s beginning in the Rose City. 

WNBA
Portland Fire

The Portland Fire is officially back. 

After a disjointed few weeks marked by the departure of the franchise’s first employee and the early release of the team’s name, the WNBA’s 15th franchise is taking its first step forward by taking one back.

Tuesday, the team will unveil its name—the Fire—logo, and brand identity at a launch party for fans at the Moda Center, their home arena beginning in 2026. 

“It’s the Portland Fire reborn,” interim president Clare Hamill said. 

The original Portland Fire played three seasons in the WNBA beginning in 2000. The team folded in 2002 having never made the playoffs. Some fans have been critical of the decision to bring back the original name because of wildfires that have ravaged the Pacific Northwest. 

Hamill was tapped as interim president following the departure of Inky Son, the team’s first employee, after less than three months on the job. Becoming the Fire’s president was not a position Hamill had been preparing for, but she enters the role with nearly five decades of experience in women’s sports and the Portland market. 

Hamill spent over 40 years at Nike, including as the VP of Nike’s women’s business before retiring last year.

“I had an incredible opportunity to have a front row seat to women’s sports,” Hamill said. “Things like in 1995 working with Sheryl [Swoopes] on her first signature shoe. Fast forward to today having a chance to work in the WNBA in Portland; the momentum these last five years though is unbelievably great.” 

Hamill doesn’t have an end date in mind for her tenure as Fire president. She said she’ll remain in the position for as long as she is wanted by the franchise. While there’s been some speculation about whether the Fire will be ready for their inaugural season in 2026, Hamill affirmed that the team will debut next season alongside the Toronto Tempo as planned.

Beyond the team’s brand launch, the franchise will have a number of key decisions to make in a short window of time. Based on the expansion draft for the WNBA’s 13th franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, the draft for the Fire and the Tempo will be in December,. This gives the Fire less than six months to prepare—assuming the WNBA and the players union agree upon a new CBA ahead of the October 31 deadline—and they are currently without a coach or general manager. 

The Tempo have not hired a coach, but have filled out their front office, hiring general manager Monica Wright, assistant GM Eli Horowitz, and president Teresa Resch. The team has already begun actively scouting for the upcoming expansion draft. 

“With the same intentionality that we’ve had around the brand and logo, that’s the same intentionality that’s going into hiring,” Hamill said. “We feel good about that and I think fans will too.” 

The franchise was closing in on 11,000 season ticket sale deposits ahead of the brand launch. Based on the $26 deposit required to secure access to season tickets when they officially become available, that’s already over $250,000 that the Fire has brought in. Hamill expects to see a spike in those deposit numbers coming out of the event.  

The Fire also secured three sponsors—First Step Credit Union, Alaska Airlines and Brand Live—prior to the official name announcement. (The franchise declined to share financial terms.) 

The WNBA officially named Portland as the league’s 15th franchise last September, with Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal serving as owners through their sports investment firm RAJ Sports. They also own the Portland Thorns and a stake in the Sacramento Kings. 

A joint practice facility is currently being built for the Fire and the Portland Thorns, also owned and operated by the Bhathal family, and will end up costing $150 million once all phases of its development are complete. A spokesperson for the team said the facility will be completed in phases, with the first phases set to be ready for use by the start of the 2026 NWSL season. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
exclusive

Ohio State Bars Dave Portnoy from Stadium in Fox Debut

Portnoy will appear on “Big Noon Kickoff” but not inside the stadium.
Oct 17, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; A general view of the Northwestern Wildcats logo at midfield before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Ryan Field.

Northwestern AD Singles Out Volleyball As Sport to Invest In

Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson spoke to Front Office Sports.

Former Tennis Channel CEO Sues Sinclair Over Voided 8-Figure Payday

The former network executive cites a financial pretext to his firing.

Featured Today

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
August 22, 2025

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.

Trey Hendrickson Ends Stalemate for $14 Million Bengals Raise

The defensive end will make $30 million this season.
August 21, 2025

Amid Dream Season, Valkyries Face Potential Playoff Arena Conflict

The Valkyries are seventh in the WNBA standings.
August 22, 2025

$2B A’s Vegas Stadium Hits Milestones, on Track for 2028

Construction progress and costs pick up in the Las Vegas project.
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore
August 21, 2025

Timberwolves Lay Off Dozens After A-Rod, Lore Take Over

Rodriguez and Lore took over the Wolves and Lynx in June.
August 20, 2025

Yankees TV Ratings Swing Up 5% From 2024, 12% Higher Than Mets

The club’s local viewership improves, due largely to surges in streaming.
Bay FC
August 20, 2025

Bay FC Set to Break NWSL Attendance Record in San Francisco

NWSL players have often resisted playing at baseball stadiums.
August 19, 2025

Rockies Are No Longer on Record-Setting Path to Rock Bottom

The MLB club’s play improves considerably.