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The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has delayed a decision on launching a new team in Portland amid concerns over the timeline of potential renovation work at Moda Center.
Moda Center is home to the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and the team is planning a major renovation project at the venue. The arena would house any WNBA team that launches in the city.
Any renovation work would need to take place in the summer, during the NBA off-season, but this would make the arena unavailable to host games in the WNBA, whose season runs from May to September.
Last month, the WNBA awarded its first expansion franchise since 2008 to the Golden State Warriors, with the new outfit to play at the NBA team’s home, Chase Center. At the time, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league was seeking to add a new team for the 2025 season and cited Portland as a potential location.
However, the WNBA has shelved plans to launch a franchise in Portland for the time being, with the renovation of Moda Center proving to be a sticking point.
In a letter obtained by ESPN addressed to Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, Engelbert said: “In light of the potential renovation of the Moda Center currently anticipated to take place during consecutive summers, consideration of a WNBA franchise for Portland will be deferred for now until the timing and scope of the arena improvements are settled.”
Engelbert added that Portland is an “ideal destination” for a WNBA franchise and the league looks forward to pursuing the city’s prospects “when the time is right”.
In a statement to ESPN, Wyden’s office said: “Senator Wyden is committed to continue working hard with everybody in Portland who’s teaming up to bring our city and state a WNBA franchise. Portland and all of Oregon have long proven a hotbed for women’s sports, and he has no doubt the WNBA would succeed here in a similar fashion.”
A source close to the discussions told Oregon Live that Jody Allen, chair of the Trail Blazers, had agreed to push back the planned renovation of Moda Center from 2026 to 2027, which would have enabled the WNBA team to spend multiple seasons at the arena before a temporary relocation.
Portland has been without a WNBA franchise for more than 20 years after the Fire folded in 2002 after just three seasons.
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