The WNBA is headed back to Portland, Oregon. The newly announced team is the league's 15th franchise and will begin play in 2026.
The official Spalding basketball used for the WNBA Western Conference basketball game between theLos Angeles Sparks and Charlotte Sting on 25th June 1997 at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Los Angeles Sparks won the game 74 - 54. Professional women’s basketball is back in Portland , Oregon after more than two decades.
“For decades, Portland has been the global epicenter of sports lifestyle and today, we are not the global epicenter of women’s sports,” Lisa Bhatel Merage said in a statement. “We believe in the transformative power of women’s sports and are thrilled that the W will call Portland home. We know that Portland’s vibrant and diverse communities will highly support and rally around this team.
“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier team to the greater Portland area.”Engelbert wrote to U.S.
Moda Center WNBA Lisa Bhathal Merage Ron Wyden
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