Despite Portland, Ore., being under strong consideration by the WNBA to be the location of its 14th franchise, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a letter on Wednesday to U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, informing Wyden that consideration of the city in the league’s upcoming round of expansion will be “deferred for now.”
In the letter, which was obtained by The Athletic, Engelbert wrote that throughout the league’s yearslong process it “became clear that Portland is an ideal destination for a WNBA franchise.” However, she said the WNBA and a prospective ownership group had been looking to resolve issues related to Moda Center, the arena in which the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers play. As a result of the potential renovation, she wrote, the city would not be receiving a team “until the timing and scope of the arena improvements are settled.”
Confirming what @billoram and @BrennaGreene_ reported earlier.
Today WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (Oregon) regarding the WNBA deferring expansion in Portland “for now” (1/3)@TheAthleticWBB pic.twitter.com/AnGeuS81zW
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) November 1, 2023
The Oregonian was the first to report that the efforts to bring a WNBA team to Portland had stalled.
The Blazers have leases for the…
