NBA NEWS - Portland, Oregon, awarded WNBA's 15th franchise

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert - (WNBA - photo) WNBA secures landmark media rights deals

Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese set a WNBA single-season record for rebounds (446) - ( WNBA photo) CAITLAN CLARK & ANGEL REESE ROCK WNBA

Klay Thompson sheds his Golden State Warrior kit for the Dallas Mavericks - (Keith Allison photo) KLAY THOMSPON is a SHAKER & MOVER

THE CRUCIFIXION of KYRIE IRVING was excessive THE CRUCIFIXION of KYRIE IRVING

Portland is the third expansion franchise awarded by the WNBA during this round of expansion, following the Golden State Valkyries and a Toronto franchise, bringing the league from 12 to 15 teams

NEW YORK and PORTLAND, Ore. USA

Thursday September 19, 2024

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced today that it has awarded Portland, Oregon, the league's 15th franchise. The Portland team, set to begin play in the 2026 season, will be owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. Portland is the third expansion franchise awarded by the WNBA during this round of expansion, following the Golden State Valkyries and a Toronto franchise, bringing the league from 12 to 15 teams.

"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 epicenter 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."

Lisa Bhathal Merage will serve as controlling owner and WNBA Governor, while Alex Bhathal will serve as Alternate Governor. The Bhathal family (Lisa, Alex and their parents, Marta and Raj) brings more than 50 years of experience in the professional sports industry, including serving as investors of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and controlling owners of the National Women's Soccer League's Portland Thorns. Ms. Merage's husband, Richard Merage, will also join the buyer group as an investor and Executive Board member of Portland WNBA. Mr. Merage is the Chief Executive Officer of MIG Capital, LLC, an investment management firm he co-founded in 2006 following the sale of his family's business, Chef America, to Nestle.

"For decades, Portland has been the global epicenter of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicenter 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 organization 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 team will play its home games at the Moda Center in downtown Portland. Fans who wish to buy season tickets for the WNBA Portland team can do so by placing a deposit at WNBA.com/portland. The new team marks the WNBA's return to Portland after more than 20 years. The Portland Fire played three seasons in the WNBA from 2000-02.

The latest expansion announcement comes amid the WNBA's historic 28th season. In addition to announcing three new teams, the league in recent months has added its most anticipated rookie class ever; signed a groundbreaking new media rights deal; and shattered records for viewership, attendance, merchandise sales, social media engagement, digital subscriptions (WNBA League Pass) and app downloads.

National Radio text has been published in five languages, Thai, French, Russian, Khmer (Cambodian language) and English, Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns are legally available ONLY on our National Radio.com & National Radio World.com sites

Also our sports, entertainment and feature programming has been broadcast on over 1000 radio stations in America.

The most accurate history of www.nationalradio.com & nationalradioWORLD.com is available on the BING search engine. On the Bing nationalradioWORLD.com search page - Press: see only nationalradioworld.com results

NationalRadio.com & NationalRadioWorld.com is not about one country, we are about… THE WORLD

© Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com All rights reserved.