Portland Fire Builds WNBA Roster in Expansion Draft
Portland's new WNBA team selected 11 players in their first-ever expansion draft, officially launching their journey toward the 2026 season. General Manager Vanja ÄŒernivec says the day "went better than anyone expected."
After months of planning and anticipation, the Portland Fire now have the foundation of their first WNBA roster, marking a milestone for basketball fans in the Pacific Northwest.
The Fire selected 11 players Friday during the WNBA expansion draft, choosing Minnesota's Bridget Carleton with their first pick. General Manager Vanja ÄŒernivec and her staff had just five days to evaluate available players and build their strategy, working with minimal sleep to get it right.
"Honestly, today went better than anyone expected," ÄŒernivec said after the draft concluded. The Fire competed alongside the Toronto Tempo, another expansion team joining the league for the 2026 season.
The new roster includes talent from across the league, with guards, forwards, and centers joining from teams like Golden State, Dallas, Washington, and Atlanta. Among the selections is Nika Mühl, a personal choice for Černivec who has known the former Connecticut guard since she was 14 years old through the NBA academy program.
The Ripple Effect
The expansion brings professional women's basketball to two new cities, creating opportunities for athletes and inspiring young players who now have hometown heroes to cheer for. Portland's addition to the WNBA means more jobs, more visibility for women's sports, and more communities getting to experience elite basketball.
ÄŒernivec took time during her opening statement to acknowledge the complexity of expansion, recognizing that building new teams means players leave familiar homes. She thanked the general managers who lost roster members for their collaboration throughout the compressed timeline.
The work isn't finished yet. The Fire still needs to navigate free agency, potentially add depth at center and forward positions, and finalize contracts with their draft picks. But for one day, Portland basketball fans got to celebrate having a team to call their own.
The 2026 WNBA season tips off May 9, giving the Fire less than a year to build chemistry and prepare for their debut.
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Based on reporting by Google News - Sports
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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