The WNBA was concerned about Portland "possibly canceling the Moda Center’s lease when it expires next year"Getty Images
Concerns over the “viability of bringing women’s professional basketball to Portland” included the renovations that will “need to be done on both Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum in coming years and how that could leave the WNBA team without a venue,” according to Dami Lawrence of the PORTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL. Prospective owner Kirk Brown reportedly “dropped his support at the final hour, torpedoing the effort,” but records show the WNBA “may have gotten cold feet after viewing the city’s facilities.” Adam Harrington, Managing Dir of Portland-based investment firm pH Partners, which worked with Brown on the ownership deal, said that the WNBA was “concerned about the city possibly canceling the Moda Center’s lease when it expires next year.” Lawrence noted the league “also raised questions about the viability of the Coliseum as a venue should the WNBA team be displaced from Moda during the renovations.” Renovations to the Moda Center are set to happen “between 2027 and 2029.” The WNBA visited both venues on Oct. 9, and Portland Dir of Economic Development Andrew Fitzpatrick told Portland manager for spectator facilities/development Susan Hartnett in an email that the league was “very concerned about the condition of the locker rooms and other player-facing facilities” in the Coliseum, specifically. Rose Quarter GM AJ Zahn in an email said that along with the locker rooms, the Coliseum’s “storage, office, training, showering and flex spaces all need to be updated to meet the WNBA’s requests" (PORTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL, 11/17).
