Sports
Portland under strong consideration for WNBA expansion team: Sources – The Athletic
WNBA
By Mike Vorkunov, Marcus Thompson II and Shams Charania
As the WNBA gets ready to introduce one new franchise with an announcement planned in the Bay Area on Thursday, the league is also still in the process of adding a second expansion franchise in Portland.
The city is under strong consideration by the WNBA to get an expansion franchise, according to league and industry sources.
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The bid is being led by Kirk Brown, a local billionaire who co-founded DiscoverOrg, a company now called ZoomInfo and that he later exited. The Next reported that Portland talks have reached the WNBA Board of Governors, which must give approval for a team to be added.
Portland has a vibrant women’s sports scene, with the Portland Thorns a success in the NWSL and a draw for fans. Women’s college basketball is popular in the state with Oregon and Oregon State both ranking in the top 25 in attendance over the last half-decade. This would be the city’s second attempt at a WNBA franchise after the Portland Fire lasted just three seasons from 2000 to 2002.
This time, the WNBA would come to Portland under different terms. Women’s basketball is thriving nationwide and the league is on the ascent.
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WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert visited the city last February, holding an event centered around women’s sports and led by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. That was held at The Sports Bra, a Portland bar devoted to women’s sports, and had appearances from prominent women in sports from around the state.
“As a lifetime lover of basketball, Senator Wyden knows full well that the game has lots of action before the final buzzer,” said Hank Stern, a spokesperson for Wyden. “He continues to work hard with everybody teaming up for Portland to earn a WNBA expansion franchise. And he remains confident the scoreboard will end up with Portland winning that franchise.”
(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
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