In the world of professional sports, few challenges are as daunting, as thrilling, or as utterly unique as building a team from nothing. It’s a process that requires equal parts visionary dreaming and granular detail, a deep love for the game’s history and a bold plan for its future. It requires an architect.
For the resurrected Portland Fire, the WNBA’s newest expansion franchise, that architect is Vanja Cernivec. The league announced that Cernivec, a respected front-office veteran with over 15 years of experience, has been hired as the team’s first-ever General Manager. Her task is as simple as it is monumental: to construct a competitive basketball team, a vibrant team culture, and a lasting connection with a city known for its passionate, knowledgeable, and occasionally skeptical sports fans—all in time for the team’s tip-off in 2026.
This isn’t just a hire; it’s a statement. It’s a bet on expertise, on a global perspective, and on a leader tasked with weaving a new thread into the rich tapestry of the WNBA.
The Right Person for the Hardest Job in Basketball
Why Vanja Cernivec? Her resume provides the blueprint. For the past six seasons, she served as the Director of Player Personnel for the New York Liberty, a team that has undergone a dramatic transformation into a superteam and a championship contender. She was instrumental in building the roster around MVP Breanna Stewart, a process that required sharp negotiation, strategic cap management, and a keen eye for talent that fits a specific system.
Before her time in New York, Cernivec cut her teeth in the front office of the Washington Mystics, another franchise that climbed from mediocrity to a WNBA championship in 2019. She learned from some of the best executives in the game, understanding that sustainable success is built on a foundation of strong drafting, player development, and a cohesive identity.
“Vanja’s extensive experience and proven track record in player evaluation and roster construction make her the ideal leader to build the Portland Fire into a perennial contender,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in the official announcement (Source: WNBA Press Release).
But her qualifications go beyond her NBA and WNBA experience. Cernivec’s background is truly international. A native of Slovenia, she played professionally in Europe before transitioning to the front office. This global mindset is no longer a bonus in the WNBA; it’s a necessity. The league’s talent pool is increasingly international, with MVPs and All-Stars hailing from Belgium (Emma Meesseman), Nigeria (Arike Ogunbowale), and Australia (Ezi Magbegor). Understanding how to evaluate and recruit talent from across the world is a critical superpower for any modern GM.
The Ghost of the Past and the Promise of the Future
The name Portland Fire is a contribution in itself to WNBA history. The original Fire were in the Rose City between 2000 and 2002 when the league contracted. Longtime fans are made to think of a certain period of the league by the name. The dilemma facing Cernivec and ownership is to keep that history alive, but to decide firmly to look to the future.
Portland is a city that has adored its professional women’s basketball team, The Portland Thorns of the NWSL, yet it has always had rabid crowds attend their games, and it draws large crowds year on year. The city has demonstrated a proven appetite for women’s sports, but that respect is only given through genuineness and willingness to win. The Fire cannot even count on the transfer of the support; it is necessary to create it.
Cernivec goes right to work on the initial problems, which is both a really interesting puzzle and a blend of the abstract with the analytical:
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The Expansion Draft: Navigating the complex rules of an expansion draft, where she will select players left unprotected by other teams. This requires not just evaluating talent, but evaluating contracts, injury histories, and fit for a system that doesn’t yet exist.
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The College Draft: Building a war chest of draft capital and then hitting on those picks. Expansion teams often live or die by their first few draft selections.
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Free Agency: Selling a vision to established veterans. Why should a star player come to a team with no history, no proven teammates, and no guarantee of success? The answer lies in the culture Cernivec builds from day one.
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Hiring a Head Coach: This may be her most important decision. Finding a coach who aligns with her philosophical vision for how the game should be played and who can develop young talent while managing veteran egos.
The statistical margin for error is razor-thin. History shows us that expansion teams often struggle initially. However, with the right leadership, they can accelerate their timeline. The Atlanta Dream, for instance, reached the WNBA Finals just three years after their inaugural season in 2008.
A League at an Inflection Point
The hiring of Cernivec cannot be separated from the larger story of the WNBA’s explosive growth. The league is in the midst of an unprecedented popularity boom. The 2024 season has seen television ratings soar by over 100% in some windows, and stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink are driving merchandise sales and arena sell-outs across the country (Source: ESPN Ratings Report).
Expansion is a central part of Commissioner Engelbert’s strategy to capitalize on this momentum. The Bay Area’s new team, led by Warriors ownership, and the Portland Fire represent the first new WNBA franchises since 2008. This hire is the first concrete step in proving that these teams will be built with the same professionalism and ambition as the league’s legacy franchises.
In this context, Cernivec isn’t just building a team; she’s helping to build the league’s future. Her success in Portland will be a case study for future expansions.
The Human Element: Beyond the Front Office
Behind the position of General Manager, there is a human story. The path that Cernivec has taken, being a professional player in Europe and finding herself in the highest realm of front office leadership in the WNBA, reflects nothing more than sheer hard work and an absolute passion for the game. It is not a common route, particularly not by women who are in senior positions in the sporting arena.
Her recruitment is another milestone regarding the presence of women in sports management. Although a step forward has been attained, GM in sports is still dominated by men, mostly in men’s and women’s sports. Giving the keys of an entire franchise to a qualified, experienced woman like Cernivec offers a potent signal to the young girls and women planning a career in a sports management front office: this industry is open to you, too.
Building the House
The press conferences will be over, the headlines will move on, and Vanja Cernivec has a lot of work ahead of him in the peaceful interior of an office, which is most likely awash in whiteboards, drafting boards, and spreadsheets. The activity of an architect can sometimes be out of the limelight.
She will make thousands of little and big decisions. She will not make every pick, and every pick will not be her energy. She will bargain, convince, and strategise. Her legacy will not be evaluated through her first press conference, but rather the team, which will finally step into the Moda Center this spring in the year 2026.
As much as the fans in Portland and the WNBA in general, the feeling of a fresh start should be felt. It is the ecstasy of potentiality. In Vanja Cernivec, they have an architect who understands how to take a possibility and turn it around into a source, and a source into a house.
