Portland WNBA Expansion: Team Name Odds and Top Possibilities

The WNBA is adding three new expansion teams in 2025 and 2026. The Golden State Valkyries play their first game in a couple of weeks, while the Toronto Tempo have been revealed and will start play in 2026. However, the third team, from Portland, has yet to announce a team name or team details. The announcement is expected very soon, so let’s check out the odds.

Portland WNBA Team Name Ideas

There are a variety of possibilities for the Portland expansion team’s name. The first thing to determine is the location name. The most likely is of course “Portland” though “Oregon” may be used instead. They may also play off of the Trailblazers established branding or the city’s history, opting for a name such as “Rip City” or “Rose City“, which would be even more unique.

After deciding the team location name, they’ll need to decide on the mascot name. A popular option is the “Swifts” which would be named after a migratory bird in the Portland area and would have a second meaning of a swift, fast team. Some people speculate the now-defunct Portland Fire name could be revived, though with new ownership it doesn’t seem as likely.

Another name possibility is the “Pathfinders” which is parallel to the Portland Trailblazers NBA team name, something that WNBA teams often choose to do. They may also lean into the rose branding for this part of the name, though the “Thorns” already exist as an NWSL team in Portland. More colorful names like the “Riot” and the “Pride” have also been mentioned often.

Portland WNBA Team Name Odds

We picked out some of the top team names to include here. Which do you think is most likely?