WNBA expansion team in Portland fires president Inky Son: Reports
The WNBA expansion franchise in Portland doesn't even begin playing until 2026. It has already fired its top employee.
Team president Inky Son, who was hired by the new franchise April 1, is out less than three months later, according to multiple reports. The Oregonian was the first to report the news.
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RAJ Sports, which owns the fledgling franchise, as well as the Portland Thorns FC of the NWSL and other sports entities, declined to comment to The Oregonian.
The WNBA awarded Portland its expansion team in September, and the team is expected to debut next season along with a new team in Toronto. But though Toronto has already hired a general manager (Monica Wright Rogers) and assistant general manager (Eli Horowitz), among others, not to mention revealed its name (Tempo), Portland has not built out its basketball operations staff.
Last week, the WNBA filed trademarks for the name 'Portland Fire' and a stylized 'P' logo. The franchise is expected to reveal its name next month.
Son, who was formerly the chief administrative officer of the National Basketball Players Association, was hired earlier this spring, about the same time the team broke ground on a practice facility that it will share with the Thorns. At the time, RAJ Sports managing director Mike Whitehead said Son would 'lay the groundwork for our future growth.'
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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