Vanja Černivec: The Builder
She helped build the winningest expansion team in WNBA history. Then Portland gave her the keys to build another one from scratch.
The Hire
Portland named Vanja Černivec the inaugural General Manager of the Fire in August 2025. She was 43 years old. Slovenian. And she had just helped build a WNBA expansion team that won more games than any expansion team in league history. When you're starting a franchise from zero, you hire someone who's done it before. Portland found the one person on the planet who literally just finished doing it.
Černivec oversees everything: the head coach search (she hired Alex Sarama), roster construction, player development, the expansion draft, free agency, the college draft. Every basketball decision runs through her. She's building the entire operation.
The Valkyries Blueprint
Before Portland, Černivec was VP of Basketball Operations for the Golden State Valkyries. That's the Bay Area's WNBA expansion team, and she was there from the beginning. She guided the Valkyries through the 2024 Expansion Draft and the 2025 WNBA Draft. She helped build the coaching staff and support structure. She oversaw the day-to-day basketball operations. The result: the Valkyries became the winningest expansion team in WNBA history.
That experience is the reason Portland hired her. Building an expansion roster isn't just about picking the best available players. It's about understanding cap mechanics, reading the protection lists other teams submit, identifying which players will actually sign rather than test free agency, and constructing a roster that makes sense together rather than just collecting talent. Černivec did all of that in Golden State. Now she's doing it again in Portland, except this time she's the one in charge.
London and Beyond
Before the Valkyries, Černivec was General Manager of the London Lions women's team. Under her leadership, the Lions won the first FIBA EuroCup Women's title in British basketball history. Not a domestic league title (though they won back-to-back British league championships too). A European title. She took a London basketball team and made them continental champions. That's an absurd accomplishment for a program that didn't have the infrastructure or tradition of the Spanish, French, or Turkish powerhouses.
She also worked with the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program, which develops basketball talent across the globe. And from 2020 to 2022, she scouted for the Chicago Bulls. That's the NBA. She's worked at every level of the basketball ecosystem: youth development, European club basketball, NBA scouting, WNBA expansion operations. There is no version of a basketball front office challenge she hasn't seen.
Building Portland
The expansion draft happened April 3, 2026. Portland picked first overall (settled by a coin toss on March 27) and Černivec went to work. Eleven players across two rounds. Bridget Carleton went first, a veteran wing and unrestricted free agent Portland couldn't risk losing to Toronto. Then Emily Engstler, Haley Jones, Sug Sutton, Nika Mühl. Every pick had a logic: versatility, defense, shooting, experience.
Check the expansion draft tracker for the full breakdown of every pick and why it mattered. Černivec built a roster that can switch defensively, space the floor, and compete from day one. Not a rebuild roster. A foundation roster.
What Comes Next
The expansion draft was step one. The next two weeks are where Černivec's real work begins. Free agency opens April 7. The 2026 WNBA Draft is April 13 in New York, where Portland owns picks #7, #17, and #37. She has $7M in salary cap space to fill out the roster before the May 9 home opener against the Chicago Sky.
Free agency is where the Valkyries experience pays off the most. Černivec knows which players are genuinely available, which ones are using expansion interest as leverage with their current teams, and which ones will actually come to a new franchise. She knows the cap math. She's done this exact negotiation cycle before, just last year, with Golden State's money. Portland's version has its own constraints, its own opportunities, and its own roster needs. But the playbook is the same.
By mid-April, the 44-game schedule starts to feel real. The roster takes shape. Sarama starts implementing his system with actual players. And thousands of season members find out what Černivec built for them. The original Fire lasted three seasons. This version is being built to last.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Vanja Černivec?
Vanja Černivec is the inaugural General Manager of the Portland Fire (WNBA). Named to the position in August 2025, she oversees all basketball operations. She's Slovenian and was previously VP of Basketball Operations for the Golden State Valkyries, where she helped build the winningest expansion team in WNBA history. Before Golden State, she was GM of the London Lions women's team, winning the first FIBA EuroCup Women's title in British basketball history.
What did Vanja Černivec do with Golden State Valkyries?
Černivec served as VP of Basketball Operations for the Valkyries. She guided them through the 2024 Expansion Draft and 2025 WNBA Draft, built the coaching and support staff, and oversaw day-to-day operations. The Valkyries became the winningest expansion team in WNBA history. That experience is exactly why Portland hired her to do it again. See the expansion draft tracker for how she applied those lessons.
How is Vanja Černivec building the Portland Fire roster?
Černivec is building the roster in three phases. First: the expansion draft (April 3), where she selected 11 players including Bridget Carleton first overall. Second: free agency starting April 7, with $7M in cap space. Third: the 2026 WNBA Draft on April 13, where Portland owns picks #7, #17, and #37. The full roster must be set before the May 9 home opener.
When does Portland Fire free agency start?
Free agency begins April 7, 2026. GM Černivec has $7M in cap space to sign players. The 2026 WNBA Draft follows on April 13 in New York (Portland picks #7, #17, and #37). The 44-game regular season starts in May, with the home opener on May 9 at Moda Center against the Chicago Sky.