Portland WNBA to reveal team name in coming months

Portland WNBA team owner Lisa Bhathal Merage said that the franchise is “awaiting final league approval on its name,” with the reveal coming in “two, maximum three months,” according to Ryan Clarke of the Portland OREGONIAN. Bhathal Merage said, “It’s like being able to select a name for your child, but then somebody tells you, ‘No, you can’t have that name. No, you can’t have that name, either.’ Because it’s very difficult to get the IP and the trademark.” She mentioned that the team has “filled a spreadsheet with a long list of name ideas from fans.” Portland WNBA still has over a year until its inaugural season, but the wait for a name is “pushing seven months” since the franchise was officially awarded. The team just recently hired NBPA Chief Administrative Officer Inky Son as its president and is “in the process of finding a general manager” to “build its basketball operations and future roster from the ground up.” The GM search is “expected to finish in the next 3-6 months” (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/22).

JOINT VENTURE: Clarke in a separate piece noted NWSL club Portland Thorns and the Portland WNBA team, both owned by Bhathal Merage of RAJ Sports, “broke ground” on the new dual training facility for the teams yesterday, “setting the foundation for a first-of-its-kind, joint training facility built specifically for women athletes.” The first phase of the project at the 12-acre property “will cost approximately” $75M, “with the goal of being open by early 2026” — just in time for the Thorns’ next season and ahead of the yet-to-be-named WNBA expansion team’s arrival (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/22). The AP’s Anne Peterson wrote the project — with an estimated total cost of $150M — is “set to be built west of Portland.” Among those at the ceremony were NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek. The new training facility “will repurpose buildings once owned by Nike.” Berman said that while some NWSL teams “share facilities” with MLS teams, the Bhathals’ approach “is not only unique, but smart investment-wise” (AP, 4/22).