WNBA Portland Hires Inky Son as Team President

A year out from their first game, Portland’s WNBA expansion team has made its first and most important hire.

On Tuesday, RAJ Sports, the parent company of the WNBA franchise and the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, announced that it has named Inky Son, who most recently served as chief administrative officer at the National Basketball Players Association, as team president for the new team.

Son, a native of South Korea, spent eight seasons with the NBPA and before that worked in licensing at the MLBPA. According to the team’s announcement, she transitioned into sports after spending the first part of her career in the fashion industry.

“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 provided by the team. “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.”

In her new role, Son will oversee all operations on the business side for the WNBA expansion team, which will play its first season at Moda Center in 2026 and has yet to announce a name. She will also be involved in the hiring process for a general manager, who will then build out the front office and eventually hire a coach.