Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA has been nothing short of miraculous.
The rookie phenom has brought record-breaking viewership to the league, which has brought everything from new media deals to chartered flights for all teams. On Wednesday morning, the league made a major announcement on the heels of its recent success.
More basketball will be coming to the Pacific Northwest. The league took to Twitter to announce that Portland, Oregon would recieve a WNBA franchise with a short, but effective message.
“PORTLAND, OREGON”
PORTLAND, OREGON 📍 #WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/SZlvcHn42H
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 18, 2024
According to ESPN, Portland’s new team will begin play in 2026. This isn’t the only new team joining the league either. Golden State is set to join the league in 2025, and Toronto has a franchise ready to step in along with Portland in 2026.
There are still a few things to be ironed out for Portland, like where games will be played.
“The timeline is being determined at this point, and those are still subject to negotiations,” Alex Bhathal, a member new team’s ownership group, told ESPN. “Our expectation is we’ll be playing at the Moda Center. There could be a situation where we play on a temporary basis at somewhere else, the VMC, but because of the indeterminate nature of those negotiations, our base case is we’ll be playing in Moda Center for the visible future.”
The league is exploding, and it looks like another new team is in the mix to be added in 2027 or 2028. Clark’s impact is undeniable.
