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Kevin Pelton
The Portland Fire announced Monday that Golden State Valkyries vice president of basketball operations Vanja Cernivec will be the WNBA expansion franchise’s inaugural general manager.
In her current role, Cernivec helped build what has been the winningest expansion team in league history. At 19-18, Golden State is in playoff position with seven games left in the regular season. No WNBA expansion team has ever made the playoffs in its debut campaign.
Working under Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin, Cernivec played a role in the international-heavy nature of Golden State’s roster. Of the 19 players to appear for the Valkyries this season, 10 were born outside the United States. That figure doesn’t include the franchise’s first pick in the WNBA draft, Lithuanian forward Juste Jocyte, who opted not to play in the league this season at age 19.
Before joining Golden State, Cernivec spent two seasons as general manager of the London Lions, building a team that won the EuroCup women’s championship in 2024. A native of Slovenia, Cernivec previously worked for the NBA in talent identification and served as an international scout for the Chicago Bulls.
In a release, the Fire indicated that Cernivec will finish the regular season with the Valkyries before assuming her duties in Portland on Sept. 15. The Fire, along with the Toronto Tempo, are set to join the WNBA in 2026. Toronto hired its GM, Monica Wright Rogers, in February. Neither team has yet hired a head coach.
