Portland Fire Expected to Name Alex Sarama Head Coach After Premature Social Media Post

Alex Sarama is poised to become the first head coach for the WNBA expansion franchise, the Portland Fire, with an official announcement anticipated in the coming days, according to multiple league sources who spoke with Front Office Sports. The appointment was inadvertently disclosed on the team’s LinkedIn account in a post that was published early Tuesday morning and then swiftly removed.

An Unplanned Reveal

While sources confirm Sarama is the expected choice, a contract has not yet been finalized. The social media error was first reported by local publication The Portland Supporter. This marks the second time key franchise information has been revealed ahead of schedule, following the premature leak of the team’s name through trademark filings in June.

Sarama’s Background and Connection to Management

Sarama brings experience from the NBA, having served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers for the last 15 months. His previous roles include assistant coach and director of player development for the Rip City Remix, the G League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers. His selection links him again with Portland Fire General Manager Vanja Černivec, who was hired in August. Černivec and Sarama previously worked together for a year at the London Lions, a professional team in the British Basketball League, where Sarama was the director of methodology from 2023 to 2024. Černivec served as the Lions’ general manager for two years before joining the Golden State Valkyries as vice president of basketball operations for their inaugural season.

A Growing WNBA Trend

The hiring of Sarama would align the Fire with a recent league trend of sourcing head coaches from the NBA ranks. After the 2023 WNBA season, the Phoenix Mercury hired Nate Tibbetts, a longtime NBA assistant, who led the team to the WNBA Finals this season where they were swept by the Las Vegas Aces. Tibbetts was reported by ESPN to be the league’s highest-paid coach, with an annual salary exceeding $1 million. The Las Vegas Aces have also found significant success with this strategy, hiring Becky Hammon in December of 2021 after her nearly decade-long tenure as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. Hammon, a 16-year WNBA veteran as a player, has guided the Aces to three WNBA championships in four seasons. Following the Aces’ 2025 WNBA title, team owner Mark Davis, when asked about making Hammon the highest-paid coach, responded, “Oh, she’s not?”