The WNBA's Portland expansion franchise is still without an official name, and now it is also without a team president. Inky Son left the organization this week in a stunning shake-up with less than a year to go until the team's inaugural season in 2026. 

RAJ Sports, which owns and operates the franchise and is led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, released a statement on Friday, confirming a previous report.

"Portland's WNBA expansion franchise announced today that Inky Son, Team President of Business Operations, has decided to leave the organization," the team said in a statement. 

"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. 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."

Son, the organization's first employee, was hired in April after serving as the chief administrative officer for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). She lasted less than three months in her role. 

According to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report, former Nike executive Clare Hamill will step in as team president on an interim basis.

It's unclear exactly what led to Son's departure, but the organization is well behind schedule with its official rollout, and the last few months have been "rocky" and featured "significant growing pains," according to Bill Oram of The Oregonian. Notably, there is still no brand identity and the club does not have a general manager despite being officially announced as an expansion franchise in September 2024. 

Earlier this month, The Rose Garden Report noted that the WNBA has filed three new trademark applications regarding the "Portland Fire." One day after Highkin's report, a cryptic message posted to the Portland franchise's social media account hinted at an announcement to come on July 15. 

WNBA awards Portland new expansion franchise: League's 15th team will begin play in 2026

Jack Maloney

All signs point to the expansion team assuming the name of the previous Portland WNBA franchise, which was in operation from 2000-02 before folding. 

Per Oram, there has a been a "lack of connection between ownership and the city of Portland as well as women's basketball." That is at least in part because the Bhathals are based in Southern California, while Whitehead is based in Sacramento. The Bhathals also own the Portland Thorns, an NWSL franchise, and Whitehead runs operations for both the Thorns and the WNBA expansion team from afar. 

Despite some of the chaos behind the scenes in Portland, there has been some good news. On Thursday, hours before Son was reportedly fired, the franchise announced that it has received 10,000 season ticket deposits. 

Those fans will be expecting a good product on the court, especially after the success of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA's 13th franchise. Golden State began play this season and is on track to make the playoffs in its first season. In order for the Portland franchise to have a chance to follow suit, it will need to get its act together quickly.