The WNBA is set to return to Portland in 2026 with new owners, new players, a new logo – but a familiar name.

The Portland Fire will tip off next season, sporting the same name as the Rose City’s inaugural professional women’s basketball team. The first iteration of the Fire joined a then-young WNBA in 2000 and folded after the 2002 season.

“We looked at many different names, but this one really stuck out,” said Karina LeBlanc, executive vice president of strategic growth for team owner RAJ sports, which owns the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns. LeBlanc also played professional soccer, including as a member of the Thorns.

“I’m coming from a sense of being an athlete – that fire that you have to represent your city, that passion that you have for what it’s about, and what the fire did for the city in the start.”

RAJ sports officially announced the WNBA team’s name Tuesday morning, ending weeks of speculation, in part set off by a pair of trademark requests hinting at the name.

LeBlanc acknowledges the name falls short for some, and will have critics in a state afflicted by wildfires. However, she says after months of careful consideration, it made the most sense to nod back to the team’s heritage.

“This took some time and this was thoughtfully carried through – and we understood how sensitive it would be,” LeBlanc said. “I hope people come out and see the reason why we went with this and they understand it.”

The original Portland Fire launched a quarter century ago during the fourth season of the WNBA. The league was rapidly expanding, doubling in size from its original eight teams to 16 for the 2000 season.

“There’s a history here that we have to be stewards towards,” LeBlanc said. “And it’s being stewards to the city, it’s being stewards to the fan base, it’s being stewards to the athletes.”

The first iteration of the Fire was a counterpart to the city’s NBA team, the Trail Blazers. After three seasons, the WNBA gave Blazers’ leadership the option to buy the Fire, find a third-party owner or dissolve the team.

The NBA team had its own financial challenges at the time, and an independent deal never came through. The team disbanded in late 2002. It came during a tumultuous decade for the WNBA, which shrank to 12 teams by 2010.

Things look a lot different in 2025. Over the last decade, the WNBA renegotiated its TV contracts, ushered in a wave of new investors and increased player salaries. Popularity has skyrocketed. The last two seasons have broken attendance and viewership records, and the league is expanding back to 16 teams by 2030.

Portland’s expansion team has already secured more than 10,000 deposits for season tickets ahead of its first game in May 2026.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/15/oregon-womens-basketball-wnba-team-portland-fire/