WNBA Portland Expansion Team May Be Reigniting ‘Fire’ Nickname

An expansion team joining the WNBA in 2026 may be reigniting a nickname from the city’s past, if recent trademark filings are any indication.

The WNBA expansion franchise in Portland has started the countdown to the announcement of their team name, which is set for Tuesday, July 15, according to their social media channels. But multiple sources, including Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, reported this week that the WNBA has filed for the name “Portland Fire” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, meaning a possible revival of the name of the city’s previous WNBA franchise.

The countdown is on ⏰ pic.twitter.com/Wqfwe6glDK
— WNBA Portland (@wnbaportland) June 20, 2025

There are two USPTO filings for “Portland Fire,” both dated June 18, 2025, and both filed by WNBA Enterprises, LLC. One pertains to “entertainment and educational services in the nature of ongoing television and radio programs in the field of basketball and rendering live basketball games and basketball exhibitions” and “the production and distribution of radio and television shows featuring basketball games, basketball events and programs in the field of basketball,” among other services. The other covers usage on “clothing, footwear [and] headwear” ranging from T-shirts to “novelty headwear with attached wigs.”

Front Office Sports does note, though, that the WNBA has filed trademarks for several other defunct WNBA teams, including the Charlotte Sting, the Detroit Shock and the Miami Sol.

SportsLogos.net files

The original incarnation of the Portland Fire began playing in 2000, the league’s fourth season, and folded in 2002 after three seasons and zero playoff appearances. Following the 2002 season, franchises transitioned from being owned by the NBA itself to being owned by NBA teams or independent third parties. Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen declined to purchase the Fire from the league, leading to its dissolution.

RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, was awarded the Portland franchise in September 2024. The team will play its home games in the Moda Center in downtown Portland, which also hosts the Trail Blazers and the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks. RAJ Sports also owns the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League and a stake in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.

The Portland entry is one of two new teams set to take to the court at the start of the 2026 WNBA season, bringing the league to a total of 15 teams. The other expansion franchise, the Toronto Tempo, unveiled their name and logo in December 2024 after it leaked on the WNBA website.