The Portland Fire is officially reignited. The WNBA Portland expansion team announced its name and identity on Tuesday, describing the return of the Portland Fire as a “team reborn” and a “revival of a movement.”
Portland teased the moniker on Monday afternoon with a social media photo of former Fire Rookie of the Year guard Jackie Stiles signing photos in the tunnel with the script, “Our fire never died.” The launch leads into a fan party later Tuesday at the Moda Center, where the Fire will begin play in 2026.
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“As a city that has long championed women’s sports, Portland is ready to reclaim its place in the WNBA and reignite its connection to the game on the world stage,” Portland Fire interim president Clare Hamill said in a release. “We are thrilled to complete the journey of bringing professional women’s basketball back to the Rose City, while honoring the legacy of the original franchise to blaze a new, bold path forward.”
The original Portland Fire played in the WNBA from 2000-02 under the leadership of former Portland Trail Blazers team owner and late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The franchise was part of the early 2000s era that featured rapid WNBA growth followed by quick exits. The Fire were the only WNBA team that folded without making the playoffs, going 37-59 (.385) in their three seasons.
The 2026 expansion club is owned and operated by Raj Sports, which has ownership stakes in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the NWSL’s Portland Thorns. When the team was announced in September 2024, its principal governor, Lisa Bhathal Merage, said that “everything is on the table” in terms of a name, and reclaiming “Fire” was an option. The league tipped its hand last month when it filed trademarks for the name “Portland Fire” and a stylized “P” logo.
The Fire brand crafted by Adopt, a local creative agency, features regional elements including the city’s 12 bridges, the silhouette of Mount Hood and a rose merging with the flame. The branding “reflects unapologetic determination and city pride,” per the release. The color palette of fire red, brown, blue and pink evoke “the power, grit, calm and creativity that defines the team.” It is a modern, minimalist take on the original Fire logo.
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The Portland launch has been rocky and delayed, with the branding coming just 10 months before the team is scheduled to tip off, should the league season begin in May. The Toronto expansion team also set to begin play in 2026 announced its Tempo identity on Dec. 5.
And less than three weeks ago, team president Inky Son left the organization. Son was the franchise’s first employee when she was hired on April 1. Portland hired former Nike executive Hamill as its interim leader. The franchise also does not have a general manager, despite the Tempo hiring Monica Wright Rogers as its GM in February.
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But that hasn’t dulled the excitement in a city with a deeply entrenched passion for women’s sports. The franchise surpassed 10,000 season ticket deposits and could surpass previous season ticket deposit records for the Golden State Valkyries, which began play this season, and the Tempo. The deposit is $26 for Portland.
“Portland has long stood at the forefront of women’s sports, and with nearly 11,000 season ticket deposits to-date, this community has made it clear they’re ready to embrace the return of women’s professional basketball,” Bhathal Merage said in the release. “We’re proud to reignite the Portland Fire and can’t wait to welcome new and longtime fans to the Moda Center in 2026.”
The WNBA announced three more expansion teams to begin play by the end of the decade. Cleveland is set to start in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030. Cleveland and Detroit previously had franchises in the early 2000s boom as the Rockers and Shock, respectively. The expansion teams’ owners said at the announcement that they want to honor their history, but will also look at different names and identities.