Portland WNBA Expansion Franchise Raises Eyebrows With Stunning Move Before Debut

In a stunning turn of events, Inky Son, president of Portland’s upcoming WNBA expansion team, has reportedly been fired. The franchise—rumored to be reviving the name “Portland Fire” based on recent trademark filings—is now less than three weeks away from a teased unveiling of the franchise’s official brand identity, yet suddenly finds itself without a leader at the helm.

According to Bill Oram at The Oregonian/OregonLive, Son was hired in April, and since, sources talked about major “growing pains” during a “rocky” rollout for the Portland expansion team.

RAJ Sports (parent company of the franchise) issued a statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive, saying, “We do not comment on individual staffing decisions as a matter of company policy,” which didn’t do much to clear up the growing questions surrounding Son’s abrupt departure.

Portland is one of two expansion teams joining the WNBA in 2026, the other being the Toronto Tempo, who were announced as the newest team in the league four months before Portland, yet appear to be buttoned up and well ahead of schedule—an area the Portland franchise currently seems to be falling behind.

While Portland has just begun hiring staff and is still without a general manager, Toronto named Monica Wright Rogers as GM back in February and rolled out its full brand identity nearly 18 months before they hit the court for the first time.

For a franchise without a full support staff, official colors, or even a locked-in name, it’s safe to assume the leadership of Portland’s WNBA team is scrambling to manage the chaos. But with just ten months until its official tip-off, the clock is ticking for Portland to get their ducks in a row.

Recommended Reading: