WNBA Adds Franchise To Portland Means More Sabrina Ionescu in Oregon

The WNBA is headed back to Portland, Oregon. The city is getting an expansion team that will begin play starting in 2026. Former Oregon Ducks star and current WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu will visit Oregon for games, which is exciting for Ducks fans who have cheered on her New York Liberty career.

Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) gestures against the LA Sparks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Oregon is getting another basketball team.

The WNBA is headed to Portland, Oregon. The city is getting an expansion team that will begin play starting in 2026. It is the WNBA's 15th franchise.

It's a very exciting addition to the state, which has become a huge supporter for women's basketball, which much thanks to the success of former Oregon Ducks star Sabrina Ionescu.

Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) gestures against the LA Sparks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A bonus of Portland receiving a WNBA team is that Ionescu and the New York Liberty will travel to play in Oregon, which is a big treat for Oregon fans who have cheered her on through her impressive WNBA career.

One of the faces of the WNBA, Ionescu is one of the most beloved Ducks of all time. Ionescu visited Eugene for the Oregon football season opener and she was greeted with a huge welcome. The two-time All-WNBA guard showed up to Autzen Stadium with her recently acquired Olympic Gold Medal. Oregon football players showed love to Ionescu by wearing the Oregon colorway of Sabrina Ionescu’s signature shoe, the Nike Sabrina 1.

Of note, Ionescu's Liberty contract runs through 2025 and she is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2026 offseason - the same season the Portland franchise begins play.

The Portland team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. They also are the majority owners of the NWSL's Portland Thorns.

“This is huge for Portland. We are so honored and humbled to be the vessel that delivers this WNBA franchise to Portland,” Lisa Bhathal said. “And that’s really how we consider ourselves. Portland is this incredibly diverse, enthusiastic community. We saw the passion first-hand when we started looking into the Portland Thorns and this is Basketball City. So we’re very excited about the future.”

Aug 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts in the first half against the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Bhathal's paid $125 million for the Portland franchise.

Historically, Portland has embraced women's college basketball, hosting a regional in this year's NCAA tournament and will bring the Final Four to the Moda Center for the first time in 2030.

Expect a lot of Oregon jerseys in the crowd when the Portland WNBA team hosts the Liberty and Ionescu. The Liberty have another talented player from the University of Oregon, Nyara Sabally. Sabally was selected with the fifth pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft. However, her debut wasdelayed due to injury. She officially joined Ionescu on the court in February 2023 after signing her rookie contract.  

In Ionescu's senior season as a Duck she averaged 17.5 points, 9.1 assists, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on her way to locking up a second consecutive Wooden award. Ionescu remains the collegiate career triple-double leader, achieving the feat 26 times; the only other player to reach a double-digit total is Caitlin Clark with 11. 

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