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2h ago

Portland Fire Name Vanja Černivec Inaugural General Manager

The expansion club turns to Golden State's vice president of basketball operations, whose roster work helped the Valkyries set a debut-season wins mark.

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8/25/25

Overview

  • Černivec will start on September 15 and lead all basketball operations, including hiring the first head coach and assembling the inaugural roster.
  • Portland is slated to debut in the 2026 WNBA season and has logged more than 13,000 season-ticket deposits since unveiling its brand.
  • At Golden State, she helped guide the 2024 Expansion Draft and the 2025 WNBA Draft and contributed to staff building for the Valkyries.
  • Golden State has 19 wins in its first season and sits in playoff contention, the most victories ever by a WNBA expansion team in a debut year.
  • Her background includes GM of the London Lions with league titles and a EuroCup Women crown, NBA Academy work, and a stint as the Chicago Bulls’ first female international scout.