The Portland Trail Blazers will soon have another professional basketball neighbor in the city.
Over the weekend, Rose Garden Report insider Sean Highkin reported that Portland would be awarded a WNBA franchise in 2026 with Portland Thorns owners Lisa and Alex Bhathal taking over.
An official announcement from the Bhathals and the WNBA is expected on Sept. 10, sources say, with the team’s name and logo to be unveiled at a later date. It is unknown at this point whether they plan to revive Portland’s previous short-lived WNBA franchise, the Fire, which folded in 2002, or go with a different name.