Sometimes, moving forward means going back in time, and thats exactly what the WNBAs Portland expansion franchise did this week.The WNBA announced Tuesday that the expansion franchise will be named the Portland Fire, reprising the name from the previous WNBA franchise that played in Portland from 2000 to 2002."Our feeling is that the Fire never died," interim Fire president Clare Hamill said. "Fans have been waiting for us to come back, and we're back with the Portland Fire."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMIn addition to the name, the team has a new "Rose on Fire" logo and a color palette of red, brown, blue and pink."As a city that has long championed womens sports, Portland is ready to reclaim its place in the WNBA and reignite its connection to the game on the world stage," Hamill said in a statement. "We are thrilled to complete the journey of bringing professional womens basketball back to the Rose City, while honoring the legacy of the original franchise to blaze a new, bold path forward."ANGEL REESE NOTCHES 9TH STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLE AS POOR PASS GOES VIRAL ON SOCIAL MEDIAPortland was awarded a WNBA team in September. The team is run by Raj Sports, which also owns the Portland Thorns of the National Womens Soccer League.The Fire and the Thorns will share a new joint training complex in the first such partnership between the two women's leagues.The Fire have already sold more than 11,000 season tickets for the 2026 season, surpassing the WNBA's previous best. The team will play at the Moda Center, where the original Fire averaged about 8,000 fans a game.The Fire are not the only team the WNBA is introducing to the league next season. The Toronto Tempo will also begin play in 2026.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.