The Portland Fire are reportedly set to appoint Alex Sarama as their first head coach, as informed by Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports. Previous reports confirmed that the Fire accidentally unveiled Sarama’s appointment on LinkedIn before promptly retracting it.

Sarama, currently an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, has a background that includes being the team’s director of player development. Before joining the Cavaliers, he was an assistant coach for the Rip City Remix, the G League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers. Originally from England, Sarama has also collaborated with Paris Basketball and the London Lions earlier in his career.

Sarama established Transforming Basketball in 2023, aiming to aid individuals and organizations in adopting an evidence-based approach to the sport. He is an advocate for the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA), a training methodology gaining traction in sports.

According to Sarama, “The CLA takes the ground-up approach of block training, which eliminates the infinite variables that affect athletes in the heat of competition, and flips it on its head.”

While with the Cavaliers, Sarama was instrumental in creating practice regimens and player development plans, contributing to a significant improvement from 48 wins in 2024 to 64 in 2025 without much roster change. The Fire are hopeful that Sarama, affectionately called ‘Professor Alex’, will replicate this success in Portland as the franchise embarks on its journey.

It’s noteworthy that this is not the Fire’s first major announcement mishap: in June, before the official launch of their branding, their trademark applications for the name ‘Portland Fire’ were inadvertently released.

Officially introduced as the WNBA’s 15th team in September 2024, the Fire will kick off their season next year amid the league’s expansion efforts. The franchise’s previous existence lasted from 2000 to 2002 before financial issues led to its closure.

As stated by Clare Hamill, the team’s interim president, “Portland is primed to reclaim its place in the WNBA, reigniting its connection to the game globally.”

Prior to hiring Sarama, the Fire had been assembling their front office, resulting in some unexpected personnel changes, including the dismissal of their first president, Inky Son, just three months into her tenure. The team’s progress includes hiring Vanja Černivec as their general manager, who previously excelled with the Golden State Valkyries.

The next pivotal step for the Fire will be participating in the expansion draft, though details remain uncertain as the WNBA negotiates collective bargaining rules with the WNBPA.