Portland, Bhathal Family Get WNBA Expansion Franchise
The WNBA has awarded Portland its 15th franchise, according to someone familiar with the negotiations, who was granted anonymity because the matter is private. The Bhathal family, who are minority investors in the Sacramento Kings, will be the owners of the team, which will start play in 2026.
Sean Highkin, who writes the Rose Garden Report on Substack, was the first to report that the Bhathals’ bid was accepted. The team is expected to be officially revealed in a couple of weeks.
“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,” per a WNBA spokesperson. Representatives from the Bhathals’ investment firm, Revitate, did not respond to requests for comment.
Last year, the WNBA added its first expansion franchise since Atlanta in 2008 with the Golden State Valkyries, who will start play in 2025 and are owned by the Golden State Warriors. Toronto got the nod in April and will join the league in 2026 with Portland. Golden State and Toronto both paid $50 million expansion fees, with Toronto committing $115 million in total, which includes the expansion fee, plans to build a practice facility and other payments to the league.
The 15th WNBA franchise was expected to fetch a higher price, as most WNBA insiders think Golden State and Toronto, which is owned by Larry Tanenbaum, got a good deal, due to their timing, connections to the NBA and desire to lock up those two markets. Tanenbaum has been the Toronto Raptors’ longtime governor, as well as chairman of the NBA board of governors since 2017. The deal also introduces the W into a new country, in addition to the fourth-largest city in North America.
The WNBA plans to add one more expansion franchise after Portland to start play by 2028. Portland had multiple bidding groups and was viewed as the likely frontrunner to land a team, while the 16th franchise could land in a handful of cities.
The average franchise is worth $96 million, with a range of $55 million (Atlanta) to $140 million (Las Vegas). The WNBA has been a rocket ship in 2024 behind rookie Caitlin Clark, and just secured a new TV deal that likely will be a 500% increase versus the prior one on a yearly basis.
The Portland bid is led by siblings Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. The family is a known quantity in the NBA as they were part of the group that bought the Kings and their arena in 2013 for $534 million.
In January, the Bhathal family reached an agreement to purchase the NWSL’s Portland Thorns for $63 million. Lisa is the Thorns’ primary governor, while Alex is the alternate governor.
