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Fox News
5 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Portland's WNBA expansion team fires team president just two months into tenure: report
The WNBA's Portland franchise reportedly fired its president, Inky Son, just three weeks before the team is expected to launch its brand. Son's dismissal came as a result of significant "growing pains" and a "rocky" rollout, The Oregonian reported Friday. On June 20, the WNBA Portland X account posted the date of July 15, saying a countdown was on, potentially alluding to the announcement of the team's official name. The WNBA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment about Son's reported dismissal. Son was hired April 1 as the first employee of the WNBA's Portland franchise. Prior to joining Portland, Son was the chief administrative officer for the National Basketball Players Association. "This is an amazing opportunity to help bring back a WNBA franchise to Portland, a city that loves basketball and has already shown itself to be supportive of women's sports," Son said in a statement when she was hired. "I am honored to be in a position like this to further the women's game, and I look forward to creating a winning environment for our future players, our staff and the fans of Portland." Mike Whitehead, managing director of RAJ Sports, the parent company of the Portland WNBA franchise, expressed confidence in Son after she was hired. "As the very first employee of the organization, Inky will lay the groundwork for our future growth, and we are confident her leadership will drive the franchise to new heights, creating a lasting impact both in Portland and across the WNBA," Whitehead said in a statement in April after Son was hired. Son's responsibilities were to oversee all aspects of the business, including marketing, ticket and sponsorship sales, community relations, finance, legal and human resources. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Portland WNBA hires Nike executive Clare Hamill as interim president after firing Inky Son: Source
Portland WNBA has brought in Clare Hamill, a longtime Nike executive, as its interim president, effective immediately, a source close to the situation told . The hire follows the departure of Inky Son, the franchise's most prominent hire to date. Hamill spent 43 years with Nike in a variety of roles, including as their vice president and general manager of Nike Women's, before retiring last year. Advertisement She replaces Son, Portland's first team president, whom the franchise hired on April 1 but is out of the job less than three months after assuming the role. The team announced Son's departure on Friday. 'During her brief but impactful tenure, Son helped lay the foundation for the franchise's presence in Portland, shaping its early business operations and community engagement efforts,' RAJ Sports, the ownership group of the franchise, said in a jointly-released statement. Son was formerly the chief administrative officer of the National Basketball Players Association. When she was hired to lead Portland, RAJ Sports managing director Mike Whitehead said she would 'lay the groundwork for our future growth.' 'The organization thanks her for her leadership during this important phase and wishes her success in her next chapter,' RAJ Sports' latest statement continued, adding that Son would return to New York, where she had previously been based. Advertisement The WNBA awarded Portland its expansion team last September, and the team is expected to debut next season along with the new Toronto Tempo. Toronto has already hired a team president (Teresa Resch), general manager (Monica Wright Rogers) and assistant general manager (Eli Horowitz), among others. Portland has not built out its basketball operations staff, though league sources have said they had been in the process of finding a general manager. How the team president switch-up will impact the timing of the GM search is not immediately clear. It also appears more news is forthcoming out of Portland. Last week, the WNBA filed trademarks for the name 'Portland Fire' and a stylized 'P' logo, potentially indicating that the league's 15th franchise will revive the Fire name from the team that existed from 2000-02. The organization has teased an announcement for July in which it will share details regarding the team's name and logo. 'The countdown is on. We'll see you July 15!' a spokesperson for WNBA Portland said in a previously issued statement. Advertisement Despite the change at the top of the organization, RAJ Sports announced earlier this week Portland WNBA had already surpassed 10,000 season-ticket deposits. Portland had been the home of the Fire for three unremarkable seasons, with the team failing to make the playoffs each year. The franchise, which was then led by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, folded due to financial losses. It was one of six teams to fold by 2009. The city has also faced turmoil in other ways. Portland was under strong consideration by the WNBA to be the location of its 14th franchise, which was later awarded to Toronto. An initial Portland bid for a WNBA team had been led by Kirk Brown, a wealthy businessman who had founded the company that is now called ZoomInfo. But those talks fell apart late in the process, just before a public announcement planned for late 2024. The franchise is currently being led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who also own the NWSL's Portland Thorns. Advertisement The Bhathal family also has ties to the NBA as Raj Bhathal, their father, is the principal co-owner of the Sacramento Kings and is majority owner Vivek Ranadivé's alternate on the league's board of governors. In February, the Thorns and WNBA Portland unveiled plans for a shared $150 million campus that will be the first-ever performance center shared by NWSL and WNBA franchises. The facility will repurpose an existing suburban office complex previously occupied by Nike near Portland, and is expected to be completed by 2026. The WNBA has yet to name its 16th franchise, and accepted more than 10 formal bids last January for a future team. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. WNBA 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Portland's expansion WNBA franchise parts with president
June 27 - Portland's new WNBA team parted ways with its president less than three months after hiring her. After the Oregonian reported that the expansion franchise fired team president Inky Son, ownership group RAJ Sports released a joint statement with Son saying that she "has decided to leave the organization." Son came to Portland following a tenure as the National Basketball Players Association's chief administrative officer. The team announced her hiring on April 1. "During her brief but impactful tenure, Son helped lay the foundation for the franchise's presence in Portland, shaping its early business operations and community engagement efforts," the statement said. "Son will return to New York, where she was previously based, and the organization thanks her for her leadership during this important phase and wishes her success in her next chapter." The Oregonian reported there were significant "growing pains" behind the scenes that may have contributed to Son's departure. WNBA Portland has yet to reveal its team identity, hinting that it will do so July 15. The franchise has yet to hire a general manager. Portland will be joining the WNBA next season at the same time as another expansion franchise in Toronto. That team already announced its identity, the Toronto Tempo. --Field Level Media
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Portland WNBA hires Nike executive Clare Hamill as interim president after firing Inky Son: Source
Portland WNBA has brought in Clare Hamill, a longtime Nike executive, as its interim president, effective immediately, a source close to the situation told The Athletic. The hire follows the departure of Inky Son, the franchise's most prominent hire to date. Hamill spent 43 years with Nike in a variety of roles, including as their vice president and general manager of Nike Women's, before retiring last year. Advertisement She replaces Son, Portland's first team president, whom the franchise hired on April 1 but is out of the job less than three months after assuming the role. The team announced Son's departure on Friday. 'During her brief but impactful tenure, Son helped lay the foundation for the franchise's presence in Portland, shaping its early business operations and community engagement efforts,' RAJ Sports, the ownership group of the franchise, said in a jointly-released statement. Son was formerly the chief administrative officer of the National Basketball Players Association. When she was hired to lead Portland, RAJ Sports managing director Mike Whitehead said she would 'lay the groundwork for our future growth.' 'The organization thanks her for her leadership during this important phase and wishes her success in her next chapter,' RAJ Sports' latest statement continued, adding that Son would return to New York, where she had previously been based. The WNBA awarded Portland its expansion team last September, and the team is expected to debut next season along with the new Toronto Tempo. Toronto has already hired a team president (Teresa Resch), general manager (Monica Wright Rogers) and assistant general manager (Eli Horowitz), among others. Portland has not built out its basketball operations staff, though league sources have said they had been in the process of finding a general manager. How the team president switch-up will impact the timing of the GM search is not immediately clear. It also appears more news is forthcoming out of Portland. Last week, the WNBA filed trademarks for the name 'Portland Fire' and a stylized 'P' logo, potentially indicating that the league's 15th franchise will revive the Fire name from the team that existed from 2000-02. The organization has teased an announcement for July in which it will share details regarding the team's name and logo. 'The countdown is on. We'll see you July 15!' a spokesperson for WNBA Portland said in a previously issued statement. Advertisement Despite the change at the top of the organization, RAJ Sports announced earlier this week Portland WNBA had already surpassed 10,000 season-ticket deposits. Portland had been the home of the Fire for three unremarkable seasons, with the team failing to make the playoffs each year. The franchise, which was then led by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, folded due to financial losses. It was one of six teams to fold by 2009. The city has also faced turmoil in other ways. Portland was under strong consideration by the WNBA to be the location of its 14th franchise, which was later awarded to Toronto. An initial Portland bid for a WNBA team had been led by Kirk Brown, a wealthy businessman who had founded the company that is now called ZoomInfo. But those talks fell apart late in the process, just before a public announcement planned for late 2024. The franchise is currently being led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who also own the NWSL's Portland Thorns. The Bhathal family also has ties to the NBA as Raj Bhathal, their father, is the principal co-owner of the Sacramento Kings and is majority owner Vivek Ranadivé's alternate on the league's board of governors. In February, the Thorns and WNBA Portland unveiled plans for a shared $150 million campus that will be the first-ever performance center shared by NWSL and WNBA franchises. The facility will repurpose an existing suburban office complex previously occupied by Nike near Portland, and is expected to be completed by 2026. The WNBA has yet to name its 16th franchise, and accepted more than 10 formal bids last January for a future team.
Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Portland's expansion WNBA team parts ways with President Inky Son
PORTLAND, Ore. — Inky Son, president of the expansion WNBA team in Portland, is leaving the organization after less than three months on the job. RAJ Sports, led by team owners Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage, announced the move Friday. 'During her brief but impactful tenure, Son helped lay the foundation for the franchise's presence in Portland, shaping its early business operations and community engagement efforts,' the firm said in a statement. 'Son will return to New York, where she was previously based, and the organization thanks her for her leadership during this important phase and wishes her success in her next chapter.' The team is set to start play next season, along with the expansion Toronto Tempo. Portland's team does not yet have a name, a coach or a general manager. Portland's branding is expected to be announced on July 15. Son was announced as the first employee of the team in early April. As president of business operations, Son was tasked with leading all aspects of the business, including marketing, ticket and sponsorship sales, community relations, finance, legal, and human resources. She was also responsible for hiring. Before working for the team, Son was chief administrative officer for the National Basketball Players Association. Portland was awarded an expansion team in September. The Bhathal family paid $125 million for the franchise. ___ AP WNBA:
