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The incoming WNBA team in Portland is still nearly a year away from playing its first games, but its leadership might already be getting a little messy.
Team president Inky Son, the franchise’s first employee who was hired on April 1, has been fired, according to The Oregonian’s Bill Oram. A reason why was not given, though The Oregonian reports there were significant “growing pains” amid a “rocky” rollout for the WNBA’s planned 15th team.
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A South Korea native and graduate from Georgetown’s business school, Son joined the still-unnamed Portland team after a stint as the chief administrative officer of the National Basketball Players Association. She also has experience with the MLB Players Association. As president, she was to oversee all aspects of the business, including hiring the team’s head of basketball operations.
The team’s ownership group, which also owns the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, sang her praises while announcing her hire less than three months ago:
“We are thrilled to welcome Inky to our team,” said Lisa Bhathal Merage, Owner and Governor of the expansion Portland WNBA franchise. “Inky’s proven track record of transforming organizations, her strategic mindset, and her passion for our mission make her the ideal person to build a solid foundation for our franchise and reaffirm Portland as the global epicenter of women’s sports.”
Apparently no longer the ideal person for the job, Son’s ouster comes at an awkward time for the Portland team, which is set to play its inaugural season in 2026 alongside another expansion team, the Toronto Tempo. Unlike Portland, the Tempo have already revealed their name, logo and general manager.
Portland did have a potential name leak out earlier this week: the Portland Fire, a name that reflects both the city’s previous WNBA team, in operation from 2000-02, and the recurring phenomena that burnt 1.9 million acres in Oregon last year, damaged nearly 200 homes and racked up more than $350 million in firefighting bills.
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The team filed trademarks for the Portland Fire earlier this month and has hinted it will reveal its brand identity July 15.
On the bright side, the team reported over 10,000 season-ticket deposits had been made as of Thursday afternoon. Hopefully, it has some more good news to report soon.
