Plans to bring a WNBA expansion team to Portland have fallen through, according to Bill Oram of the Oregonian.

While it's not entirely clear what cause the last-minute breakdown, but one of the reported issues centered around practice space problems.

Local entrepreneur Kirk Brown, founder of ZoomInfo, announced his plans to bring a WNBA franchise to Portland. Since that point the city, along with the Bay Area, was seen as the leading candidate to be awarded a franchise.

In February, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert attended a gathering put together by Sen. Ron Wyden at women's sports bar ‘The Sports Bra' that brought together leaders from across the state’s sports scene, including representatives of the Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Thorns and Oregon and Oregon State’s women’s basketball. The decision to award Portland the next WNBA franchise had reportedly already been made, according to Oram. Those plans included the franchise's use of the Moda Center, home of the Blazers, as the team’s home arena and a practice facility.

Portland has not had a WNBA team since 2002, when the Portland Fire ceased operations after three seasons.

Since then, Portland has emerged as a major player in women’s sports. In addition to being home to the Thorns, which drew nearly 19,000 fans per game this season, both the UO and OSU women’s basketball teams have reached the NCAA Final Four in recent years.

Portland will also host a women's Final Four for the first time after the NCAA women's basketball committee chose the city for the 2030 national semifinals.