Portland isn’t just bringing the "Fire" name back; they’re literallly building a fortress for the team. RAJ Sports just announced a naming rights deal with Kaiser Permanente for a 90,000-square-foot training facility in Hillsboro.
They are building out a 17,000 square-foot gym, dedicated rooms for content creators, and spaces specifically for players’ families. The days of WNBA teams practicing in community centers are officially over. Chime is confirmed as the jersey sponsor, and Portland is already acting like a legacy franchise before they have even confirmed their roster.
The CBA Reality Check
The labor side of the league, tells a different story. The league and the Players Association recently spent three hours behind closed doors in New York City this week.
The players are pushing for a 30% revenue-share split, and honestly, everything else is secondary until that gets signed. Until the ink is dry on the new CBA, the new facilities in Portland and Toronto will remain empty. And at this point, we still don’t actually know what their roster or salary cap will even look like.
The infrastructure is ready, but the rules of the game are still being negotiated. The expansion story continues...