WNBA ‘adds 15th franchise as it agrees to expand to another West Coast city’ amid league’s plans to bring new teams to San Francisco and Toronto

Riding a historic wave of success in 2024, the WNBA will reportedly be expanding to Portland with the league’s 15th franchise.

The new club is expected to begin play in 2026 and will be owned by the Bhathal family, according to Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin. Through their company, RAJSports, the Bhathals already own the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, the G League’s Stockton Kings, the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats and the NWSL’s Portland Thorns.

A league spokesman did not confirm or deny the report when contacted by DailyMail.com: ‘The WNBA remains in active discussions with potential ownership groups across various markets, and the approval of any new expansion teams will be subject to a board vote.’

Kings spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

Saturday’s news is another example of the league’s rapid growth amid Caitlin Clark’s wildly successful rookie season in Indiana. A year ago, the WNBA expanded to the Bay Area with the Golden State Valkyries, which will launch next season. Toronto is also getting an expansion franchise, which should debut along with Portland in 2026.

Panoramic Portland skyline on the Columbia River. The city is reportedly adding a WNBA team

+3
View gallery

Kings owner Raj Bhathal will reportedly be adding a second Portland team to his portfolio

There remains plans to add another team that could start play in 2028.

The team in Portland had several suitors, according to Sportico.

With the arrival of rookies Clark and Angel Reese, not to mention Sabrina Ionescu’s breakout season in New York, the WNBA has enjoyed record success in 2024. Merchandise sales at the league’s online store were up 500% on August 21 compared to a year earlier,

The early season ticket sales were equally impressive.

The W announced in June that more than 400,000 fans attended games in May, setting a 26-year high.

The success of Caitlin Clark in Indiana has buoyed the WNBA’s historic 2024 season

+3
View gallery

In New York, Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu has captured the attention of basketball fans

Read More

REVEALED: New WNBA team for 2025

Meanwhile, across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and CBS, WNBA games were averaging 1.32 million viewers – nearly triple last season’s standard of 462,200 viewers.

In a press release at the time, WNBA chief growth officer Colie Edison said the league is being rewarded for its faith in its own product.

‘What’s happening now in women’s basketball is confirmation of what we’ve always known: The demand is there, and women’s sports is a valuable investment,’ Elison said.

‘We’re encouraged by growing engagement across all our verticals, especially as we welcome new and diverse audiences into our fandom,’ Elison added. ‘The WNBA continues to experience sustained growth as our league embraces this heightened momentum.’