The WNBA announced Wednesday it has awarded an expansion franchise to the City of Portland that will begin play in 2026.
Portland joins the California Bay Area and Toronto as new franchises set to enter the WNBA within the next two years, bringing the league to 15 teams. The Golden State Valkyries will debut in 2025, with Portland and Toronto starting the following season.
The Portland franchise will be owned and operated by the Bhathal family, which paid $125 million for the club. Lisa Bhathal Merage will serve as controlling owner and WNBA Governor, while Alex Bhathal was named Alternate Governor.
“For decades, Portland has been the global epicentre of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicentre of women’s sports,” said Lisa Bhathal Merage. “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. Our goal is to grow this organisation in partnership with the Portland community, and we look forward to supporting the best women’s basketball players in the world when they take the floor at the Moda Center in 2026.”
The Bhathals also own the National Women's Soccer League's Portland Thorns and are investors in the NBA's Sacramento Kings.
Portland previously had a WNBA team, known as the Fire, that folded after three seasons in 2002.
“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 epicentre 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 WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”
Engelbert said in April the WNBA's goal is to expand to 16 teams by 2028, though it's unlikely the league adds another franchise before 2027.
Lakers considering plans to commemorate LeBron and Bronny James' first game
JJ Redick says the Los Angeles Lakers are mulling plans for the first time LeBron James and son Bronny James share the court together this season.
Bronny is gearing up for his first NBA season with the Lakers, who drafted the 19-year-old in the second round after he played a single campaign at USC.
He and LeBron - a four-time MVP - will become the first father-son duo in NBA history when they take to the court during the upcoming season, which begins against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.
And Redick says plans for how to commemorate the historic moment are still in the air, but insists both players will be involved in the decision-making process.
"We obviously have talked about it as a staff, and we've gotten into some specifics of what that might look like," Redick told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.
"But we haven't committed to anything. And obviously, there's a discussion to be had once we're all together with Bronny and LeBron, too. They should be a part of that discussion as well."
Redick is embarking on his first venture in the NBA, having been appointed the Lakers' 29th head coach in June.
Along with managing the James duo, the 40-year-old will be looking to improve on the franchise's first-round playoff exit last term, but is not fazed by the prospect.
"I don't look at it as a challenge," he said. "It's unique from any other challenge of coaching a player or coaching a relationship.
"Bronny, I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him because he's young, and he's hungry, and he's got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mould into a really good NBA player.
"On top of that, he's a fantastic kid. He's extremely coachable. He's got the right spirit and energy every single day."
Former NBA MVP Rose announces retirement
Former No. 1 draft pick and NBA MVP Derrick Rose announced his retirement on Thursday following a 16-year career in the league.
Rose was selected first overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls and went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year honours in 2008-09 before becoming the youngest MVP in league history at 22 years old in 2011.
He earned his third All-Star appearance in 2011-12, but Rose sustained a major knee injury during the 2012 playoffs that led to him sitting out almost all of the next two seasons.
That was the beginning of Rose battling knee and ankle injuries throughout his career.
Rose thanked the game of basketball on Instagram on Thursday, calling it “My First Love.”
“You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain,” Rose posted.
“You gave me a gift, our time together, one that I will cherish for the rest of my days.
“You told me it’s okay to say goodbye, reassuring me that you’ll always be a part of me, no matter where life takes me.”
Rose averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 723 career regular-season games with the Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.
'GOAT' Taurasi celebrated after potential WNBA swansong
Diana Taurasi has been hailed as one of the greatest players in the history of the WNBA.
Taurasi, who is the WNBA's all-time scoring leader, has eluded that the curtain may have closed on her glittering 20-year stint in the sport.
It means she may have played her last game in the Phoenix Mercury's 101-88 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old has had a storied basketball career at all levels that she has competed at, winning three NCAA National Championships at UConn early in her career.
She then triumphed in three WNBA Championships with the Mercury and earned six Olympic gold medals, winning at every Games since 2004 in Athens.
Taurasi has also racked up several records along the way for points (10,646), free throws made (2,517), field goals made (3,341) and three-pointers made (1,447) in a career.
After she fouled out of Wednesday's contest, Taurasi, who finished with 10 points, left the court to a standing ovation.
A potential departure from the sport saw her teammates laud her impact in the WNBA, with Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts thankful for his time with her.
"We'll see what she decides to do," Tibbetts said.
"It's kind of been her approach the whole way, but personally, I'd just like to thank her [as] a new coach coming into a new league.
"The way that she welcomed me and helped me through this season. What an opportunity for me to coach the greatest ever, and I'm super thankful for that."
Taurasi still proved that age is just a number, becoming the first player in WNBA history to score 20-plus in a playoff game after the age of 40 in Game 1.
"I've never seen somebody come in, day in, day out, do the exact same thing and add to it so she can stay on this court," Mercury’s Brittney Griner said.
"I've always said I credit a lot of my game to the way I read it, the way I can see things developing on the court, to [Taurasi].
"But I'm also lucky to take away life lessons from [Taurasi], too."
Natasha Cloud added: "[Taurasi] is one of the GOATs of this game. She will forever go down as one of the greatest to ever touch this ball."
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