The WNBA filed trademarks for the name “Portland Fire” and a stylized “P” logo earlier this week, potentially indicating that the league’s 15th franchise will revive the Fire name from the team that existed from 2000-02.
The league’s expansion to Portland was announced in September 2024, and the team will begin play in 2026 alongside the Toronto Tempo. The organization has teased an announcement for next month — a statement from a spokesperson for WNBA Portland reads, “The countdown is on. We’ll see you July 15!”
If it does choose the name Fire, the new Portland team is hoping it doesn’t carry the prior team’s track record. The Fire had three unremarkable seasons during the WNBA’s first decade, cracking .500 in their final year in the league and never qualifying for the playoffs. The franchise folded due to financial losses, one of six teams to fold by 2009.
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The expansion Portland team hired Inky Son, formerly the chief administrative officer of the National Basketball Players Association, as its team president earlier this year and the organization’s first employee. The organization also broke ground on its practice facility in April, a space that will be shared with the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, who are also under the same ownership of RAJ Sports.
However, while Toronto has hired a general manager and assistant GM among other employees, in addition to revealing its team branding, Portland has yet to build out its basketball operations staff. Both franchises will also have to hire head coaches before the expansion draft following the 2025 WNBA season.
The league is still in the process of expansion and accepted bids for its 16th franchise through January. More than 10 groups submitted formal bids, but the WNBA has not yet announced a winner.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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