Vanja Černivec, the current Vice President of the Golden State Valkyries, former General Manager of the London Lions women’s basketball team, and former player for her home country Slovenia’s basketball team, has officially been hired as the reincarnated Portland Fire’s first General Manager. She will start the job on September 15th.
“Vanja is a visionary, and we are confident she will help define what this franchise can be,” said Lisa Bhathal Merage, Portland Fire Co-Owner and Governor. “As a foundational leader in this new chapter for the Fire, she brings the experience, integrity, and passion for advancing the women’s game that this moment demands.”
In their official hiring statement, the Portland Fire don’t give us any information that we didn’t learn about yesterday. Nothing new about the direction anyone wants to go in (which will be Černivec’s decision, so that makes sense), nothing about possible dates for the draft or for any more hirings, and nothing new about Černivec, who has only been in the W for 13 months.
Personally, I feel a great sense of relief in this pivotal move finally happening. Additionally, I feel that I can let go of my worrying, for now, since no other decisions are attached to a timeline. Once again, it is time to focus on the basketball. Playoffs start in three weeks, and the college season starts in early November. On November 1st, we’ll know if the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement has been signed by both parties, and we'll be able to really dig into how, and when, the Portland Fire will make their roster.