• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 11, 2025

Portland Vies to Add WNBA Team, Keep Trail Blazers

  • Sen. Ron Wyden wrote a letter calling on the WNBA to return to Portland.
  • The league had a team there from 2000-02.
Ron-Wyden
MADELEINE COOK / STATESMAN JOURNAL

Portland is vying for a WNBA team with the help of one of its federal representatives.

Sen. Ron Wyden wrote a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, saying that a Portland WNBA team would be a “slam dunk success for the city and the league.”

  • Portland had a WNBA team, the Fire, for three seasons from 2000-02.
  • Wyden wrote that both Portland and Oregon have “proven to be a hotbed for women’s sports.”
  • The city’s NWSL team, the Thorns, topped the league in attendance last year with 14,391 per game and, as of Monday, are second to Angel City FC this year with 15,543 per game.

Wyden alluded to concerns that the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers could leave the city at the end of his missive: 

“Please know that I stand ready to offer whatever help I can provide to protect and build a lasting commitment to the Trail Blazers’ continued presence in Portland – a commitment that would also be solidified with a WNBA team in my hometown.

Fierce Competition

The WNBA, which has 12 teams, is looking to add two more. The Oakland City Council passed a resolution calling on the WNBA to bring a team there. The league is also believed to be looking at Nashville, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Toronto.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jeff Kaplan

Letting PE Invest in Family-Owned Teams Is a ‘Watershed’

Liquidity gives owners greater flexibility to manage salary cap.
Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center.

Cooper Flagg Makes Mavericks, New Balance Debut in Win Over Bronny

Thursday marked Flagg’s first game donning New Balance shoes.
Stephen Curry celebrates after sinking the winning putt during the final round of the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Golf’s Hottest Celebrity Tournament Keeps Getting More Exclusive

The American Century Championship tees off at Lake Tahoe on Friday.
Jul 10, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek of Poland at her on court interview after winning her match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day 11 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Wimbledon Set to Deliver Strong Finals Matchup for ESPN

Novak Djokovic is still in the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam.

Featured Today

Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Apr 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; The LIV Golf logo is on display along the 10th hole during the second round of LIV Golf Miami golf tournament at Trump National Doral.

LIV Golf’s New Leadership Reapplies for World Ranking Points

The league’s first attempt was denied in 2023.
Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark of the MLBPA
July 10, 2025

MLB, Players’ Union Spar Over Salary Cap As Labor Fight Looms

The MLB Players Association’s No. 2 executive outlines what he sees owners doing.
July 11, 2025

All-Star Game Returns to Atlanta With Big Plans After 2021 Exit

The league’s jewel event is set to be a global showcase for The Battery.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
May 28, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
July 10, 2025

How Does the NBA Salary Cap Work?

The NBA salary cap gives teams a spending limit for their rosters.
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell during the NFLPA press conference at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
July 10, 2025

NFLPA Head Has Side Hustle With PE Firm That Can Invest in..

The NFLPA’s executive director is embroiled in multiple controversies.
July 10, 2025

Murphy: Club WC Snags Won’t Derail Biggest Event ‘in Human History’

New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is the concluding site of both FIFA events.
Crystal Palace FC
July 10, 2025

Crystal Palace’s Europa League Spot in Limbo After Lyon Wins Appeal

The ruling on Olympique Lyonnais was overturned this week on appeal.