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Portland’s WNBA past and future
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks to the media before the 2022 playoffs.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks to the media before the 2022 playoffs. | Photo by Candice Ward/ESPN Images
Imagine it. The year is 2024. Portland has just landed a WNBA team in the league’s latest growth venture. As the expansion draft gets underway, somehow, the New York Liberty’s star point guard Sabrina Ionescu is available. The pick is made — she’s coming back to Oregon.

Cheers go up from the watch party in Pioneer Courthouse Square. The beer is flowing at The Sports Bra. Thorns captain Sophia Smith shares a message on social media welcoming all the new ballers to the City of Roses, “This is where champions are made.”

Perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, but with all the buzz, we couldn’t help but picture the possibilities. Let’s take a look at how we got here.

Our city already had a professional women’s basketball team for three seasons, from 2000 until 2002. The Portland Fire played at the then Rose Garden, and although they never posted a winning record, the team’s rookie guard Jackie Stiles would earn the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

When the league put its franchises up for sale, chairman Paul Allen’s financial issues put him out of the running to buy the Fire, and a deal led by Clyde Drexler and local entrepreneur Terry Emmert dissolved.

But two decades later, the timing and the money are right. The 12-team WNBA (much more stable at 26 years old) announced what is reportedly the largest single capital investment in a women’s sports league — $75 million. It’s also well known that Portland billionaire and ZoomInfo co-founder Kirk Brown is interested in purchasing a WNBA franchise.

WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu speaks at an event

Sabrina Ionescu took women’s basketball in Oregon to new heights as a Duck.

Photo by Kelly Backus/ESPN Images


Senator Ron Wyden — a Portland native and diehard Trail Blazers fan — wrote a letter in September to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressing why his hometown deserves a team. She responded by saying, “While we still have more work to do, please know that Portland is a market that we hold in high regard and are actively considering.”

Six teams are said to be in the running. Next steps would involve a deep dive into potential season tickets, corporate sponsors, and securing a lease for the team. We want to know, will you be watching?

If Portland did get a WNBA team, what should it be called?

A. Bring back the Portland Fire
B. Portland Pioneers, with a compass rose logo
C. Another locally inspired option
NAME THE TEAM
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Wednesday, October 12
  • Bookmark: A Benefit for Literary Arts | Wed., Oct. 12 | 5:30 p.m. | Online | Free | Listen to moving readings from community artists, as well as performances from surprise special guests, all while you help shape the future of storytelling in Oregon.
  • Quality Ski Time Film Tour | Wed., Oct. 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., Portland | $15 | Shred the gnar from the comfort of your seat and watch some of the year’s greatest ski films on the silver screen.
  • Ringo Starr | Wed., Oct. 12 | 8 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland | $49.50 - $199.50 | Join the Beatle and his All Starr Band for a legendary performance imbued with joy, reflection, and wisdom.
Thursday, October 13
  • Dillon Francis | Thu., Oct. 13 | 8 p.m. | 45 East, 315 SE Third Ave., Portland | $62.00 - $67.00 | Burn up the dance floor when this DJ comes to town.
  • Hey Love presents: “A Love Bizarre” 4th Anniversary Party! | Thu., Oct. 13 | 8 p.m. | Hey Love, 920 E. Burnside St., Portland | Free | Don’t miss out on the light-up dance floor, tattoos, and tooth bedazzling to celebrate four years of this trendy bar.
  • “Little Shop of Horrors” | Thu., Oct. 13-Sun., Oct. 30 | Times vary | Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland | $30.00 - $50.00 | The deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical has devoured the hearts of theater-goers for over 30 years.
Friday, October 14
  • Glitterfest IV 2022 | Fri., Oct. 14 - Sat., Oct. 15 | Times vary | Green Anchors, 8940 N. Bradford St., Portland | $20.00 | Join this sparkling St. Johns music fest featuring tunes written by Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Knicks, and more from local bands.
  • “Murder on the Orient Express” | Fri., Oct. 14 - Sun., Oct. 30 | Times vary | Magenta Theater, 1108 Main St., Vancouver | $20.00 - $22.00 | Hercule Poirot is on the case and you’re invited to come along for the ride.
  • Trail Blazers Fan Fest presented by Daimler Truck | Fri., Oct. 14 | 7 p.m. | Moda Center, 1 N. Center Court St., Portland | Free | Get hyped for the start of the season with food, fun, and prizes, plus watch an intrasquad scrimmage.
Saturday, October 15

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
FILL YOUR CALENDAR

Weather
  • 79Âș | Sunny | 6% chance of rain
Sunrise + Sunset
  • Rise: 7:22 a.m.
  • Set: 6:30 p.m.
Traffic
  • Pay extra attention on your commute this morning. Caravans of students and parents will be participating in International Walk + Roll to School Day. To prepare for the event, PBOT’s Safe Routes to School program provided supplies and incentives to 21 schools across the city to encourage more climate-friendly choices.
Outdoors
  • Leaf it to PBOT. Portlanders can take advantage of the transportation bureau’s free Leaf Day service to remove leaves that fall from the trees on their property. Simply rake them into the street ahead of your neighborhood’s scheduled sweep. Nearly 5,000 tons are cleaned up every year. 🍁 (KOIN)
Sports
  • Amid ongoing controversy related to U.S. Soccer’s investigation, Portland Timbers and Thorns owner Merritt Paulson announced he was stepping down as the clubs’ CEO. Fan groups, including the 107 Independent Supporters Trust, Rose City Riveters, and Timbers Army, maintain their call for Paulson to sell the teams. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
  • Despite off-the-field distractions, the Portland Thorns still have a home semifinal playoff game awaiting them on Sun., Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. In a recent interview, star forward Sophia Smith called on fans to show up and support, while confirming there are encouraging behind-the-scenes discussions happening between the players and the organization. âšœ (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Plan Ahead
  • This Thurs., Oct. 13 at 10:30 a.m., the Oregon Zoo’s resident Asian elephants will conduct the “Squishing of the Squash.” The tradition (and tasty pumpkin treat) date all the way back to 1999. Employees advise arriving at least a half hour early to get a good vantage point for the spectacle. 🐘 (KOIN)
  • Costumed kiddos and their families are also invited to join the zoo’s Howloween festivities, which return Oct. 22-23 and Oct. 28-31. Enjoy scavenger hunts, treat bags, and talks from U.S. Fish and Wildlife experts about scary invasive species. 🎃
Award
  • At the Great American Beer Festival — the largest and most prestigious beer competition in the United States — several Portland breweries saw success. Little Beast Brewing took home gold in the “American Sour Ale” category for its Hot Break. Raise a glass to Oregon’s full list of winners. đŸș (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Real Estate
  • Newly released data from the Realtor Multiple Listing Service points toward a regional slowdown in the Portland housing market, with fewer new listings, as well as pending and closed sales. Still, September’s average sale prices rose for some areas, like Milwaukie/Clackamas ($606,700) and Beaverton/Aloha ($554,100). See where they fell. (Portland Monthly)
Environment
  • Since 2020, Vancouver has implemented temporary moratoriums to prevent new fossil fuel developments. Now, its city council has made the ban permanent through a recent vote. The ordinance will go into effect in early November and prohibits facilities that distribute, extract, refine, or process fossil fuels. (The Columbian)
History
  • “Musically, he’s considered the link between Sinatra and Elvis.” Meet Johnnie Ray, Oregon’s “father of rock and roll” who grew up on a farm in rural Willamette Valley. In 1941, he appeared on the Portland radio show “Stars of Tomorrow,” and went on to a successful career making pop standards. đŸŽ€(OPB)
Development
  • HP Inc. has announced plans to build 235,000 sqft of office and lab space in Vancouver by 2026. The research center will be located a mile north of the company’s current local offices and designed to better facilitate hybrid work for its employees. đŸ—ïž (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Announced
  • If you love this newsletter (and supporting local) as much as we love strolls in Forest Park, morning lattes from Nova Coffee + Saturdays spent picking pumpkins on Sauvie Island (which is a lot) — we’ve got something for you: PDXtoday just launched a membership program. Learn more + sign up.
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Be ready for your ballot đŸ—łïž

Don’t miss Oregon’s voter registration deadline
A person wearing a red beanie and black puffy coat drops their ballot off at an official Multnomah County Ballot Drop Box. The pavement is wet and it looks like it's raining.
Make sure you know where your nearest ballot drop box is if you’re not mailing it in. | Photo courtesy of Multnomah County
This year’s general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5 will decide many important positions in Portland, like mayor and city council, with ranked choice voting. Positions for the rest of Oregon will also be elected.

But to ensure that each vote is counted, Portlanders must register by the Tuesday, Oct. 15 deadline at 11:59 p.m. That is also the cutoff to update any information, such as political party affiliation, or name and address changes.

To do so, simply visit the secretary of state’s website, where an online portal is also available in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, and Russian. There is an in-person option too — fill out this form and take it to your county elections office.
THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Ben.

Editor’s pick: This weekend, I’m going to get to the bottom of one of Portland’s spookiest attractions on Old Town Pizza & Brewing’s Haunted Shanghai Tunnel Tour.

If the resident ghost Nina doesn’t get me, I look forward to washing down the paranormal chills with a beer tasting afterward.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Learn how the Lovejoy Columns support an important chapter in Portland’s art history.
Connect with us.

Editorial: Cambrie Juarez, Ben McBee, Trevor Peters, Britt Thorson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Terri Kiesenhofer | Advertise with us.

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