The Portland Fire are bringing on a general manager with fresh experience growing a successful professional women’s franchise from the ground up.

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest team to start play, garnered more than 20,000 season ticket deposits in their first year — and with just over two weeks left in the regular season, are on track for a trip to the playoffs.

It appears the Portland Fire hope to capitalize on some of that success with the hiring of Vanja Černivec as general manager. Since July 2024, Černivec has experienced the inner workings of a WNBA expansion team firsthand as Golden State’s vice president of basketball operations.

She will join the Portland Fire on Sept. 15. The team starts play in May 2026.

“I am honored to join the Fire with a vision to build the most innovative and groundbreaking team in women’s basketball,” Černivec said in a statement announcing her hire. “Portland is a city with a deep passion for the game, and I want this team to reflect that energy in this new era — rooted in legacy, fueled by passion, and driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence.”

The team Černivec is departing, the Valkyries, started play in the 2025 season as the first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream tipped off in 2008. Since then, the women’s league has grown exponentially in popularity.

In the last few years the WNBA has consistently broken attendance and viewership records, only to break them again the following season. In 2025, TV viewership is up more than 20% from last season, and attendance more than 10%.

Meanwhile, Portland has emerged as a hub for women’s sports. Portland’s professional women’s soccer team, the Thorns, welcomes tens of thousands of fans each season. The NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament hosted more than 12,000 fans at the Moda Center in 2024, with plans to return in coming years.

And in Sept. 2024 Portlanders learned professional women’s basketball would return to the Rose City in the form of the WNBA’s 15th team. The original Portland Fire played in the city from 2000-2002 before they were forced to fold during a time of contraction for the league.

Siblings Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal own the new team through their investment firm, RAJ Sports. The pair also own the Portland Thorns.

The rollout of the Portland Fire has been a bit bumpy at times. In April the team named longtime sports and apparel leader Inky Son as president, only to announce her departure in June. Former Nike executive Clare Hamill took over as interim president and continues to serve in that role.

As general manager, Černivec will lead the search for a head coach and help build the Fire’s roster of players. She’s held similar roles internationally with the professional women’s basketball team in London, and has worked for the NBA’s Chicago Bulls as an international scout. Černivec also played basketball professionally in Slovenia.

“As a foundational leader in this new chapter for the Fire,” said team co-owner Bhathal Merage in a statement announcing Černivec’s hire, “she brings the experience, integrity, and passion for advancing the women’s game that this moment demands.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/08/25/vanja-cernivec-portland-fire/