April 29, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
From 2000 until 2002, the Moda Center — then known as the Rose Garden — was home to both the Portland Trail Blazers and the WNBA’s Portland Fire. The Fire struggled to find consistent success, finishing near the bottom of the Western Conference in their first two seasons before going 16-16 in their third and final season. The team would then fold due to financial reasons despite having strong fan attendance relative to the rest of the league.
Since the Fire last stepped on the court, Portland has established itself as one of the strongest cities for women’s sports, as the Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League have had the highest average attendance numbers in the league for nine out of thirteen seasons of their existence. Not only have they enjoyed heavy fan support, but they’ve also been one of the strongest clubs in the league, leading all teams for the most NWSL Championships with three.
The WNBA has also grown significantly since 2002 and projects to continue its rise, with players such as Caitlin Clark taking the basketball world by storm. So, in an attempt to hit new markets, the league made the choice in fall of 2025 to return to Portland, where the same owners of the Thorns — RAJ Sports — will be taking over ownership of the Fire. Last August, Vanja Černivec was named the team’s general manager. Černivec will bring important experience and insight to the team’s roster construction after spending time with the Golden State Valkyries as the vice president of basketball operations throughout their time as an expansion team. Alex Sarama was tapped to be the franchise’s first head coach after spending three seasons as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sarama isn’t a stranger to Portland, as prior to his time in Cleveland, he was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers’ G-League affiliate, Rip City Remix, in their initial seasons.
Portland, joined by the Toronto Tempo as teams new to the league, added the first players to their roster April 3 during the expansion draft ahead of the annual WNBA draft April 13. During the expansion draft, the Fire took the 2024 Most Improved Player of the Year award winner, former Minnesota Lynx and 2019 21st overall pick to the Connecticut Sun, Bridget Carleton, with their first pick. Then, with the seventh pick of the WNBA draft, the team selected point guard Iyana Martín Carrión, who is from Spain and is a current member of Perfumerias Avenida from Liga Femenina. While many fans wanted LSU star Flau’jae Johnson, who would get taken by the Seattle Storm just a pick later, Carrión has an incredible resume, leading her national team and having a U-19 FIBA World Cup MVP to her name. However, she will not be joining the team this season as she’s going to be a “draft-and-stash” prospect that will continue to play in Spain for the time being.
The Fire have been going through training camp at both Portland State University and the University of Oregon. They will play their first preseason game in Seattle against the Storm at 7 p.m. April 29 and then play their first and only home preseason game May 3 against the Los Angeles Sparks before opening their regular season at home Saturday, May 9, against the Chicago Sky, whose roster includes WNBA legend Skylar Diggins and 2024 national champion Kamilla Cardoso.
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
