New WNBA Team Gets Off To Hot Start, Mistakenly Leaks Head Coaching Hire On LinkedIn
The WNBA's newest team is off to quite the start
The WNBA is adding two new teams to the league beginning in 2026, and one of the expansion franchises is off to a smoother start than the other.
The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will bring the WNBA's total number of teams to 15 next season. Expanding the league to an odd number of teams feels like a questionable move, but that's a story for another day. Anyway, Portland has yet to officially introduce its head coach.
The word ‘officially’ carries a lot of weight in the previous sentence, because unofficially, the franchise reportedly leaked who will be in charge of the Fire, and it did so on LinkedIn, of all places.
READ: WNBA Expansion Teams Frustrated As CBA Negotiations Drag Into Uncertainty
As first reported by Front Office Sports, the Fire mistakenly shared on the team's official LinkedIn account early Tuesday morning that Alex Sarama will be the franchise's first head coach, but the post was quickly deleted.
While one might imagine that after mistakenly leaking Sarama's name, the Fire would perhaps move quickly to make an official announcement, as of this writing, no official announcement has been made. Sources told Front Office Sports that "while no contract has been finalized, Sarama is expected to be announced as the Fire’s coach."
Sarama is currently an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Prior to joining the Cavaliers, he served as an assistant coach and director of player development for the Rip City Remix, the Portland Trail Blazers' G League affiliate.
An accidental leak of your head coach hiring isn't exactly the foot the Fire wanted to get started on, given the franchise's history and all.
The 2026 season will actually mark the second time the team has been in the WNBA. The Fire were a part of the league in 2000, but folded just two years later. The WNBA today looks drastically different than it did over two decades ago, so maybe the second time is the charm for the Fire to have success in Portland. Maybe.