{"id":647321,"date":"2026-05-04T14:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T14:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/647321\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T14:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T14:29:14","slug":"fans-cheer-on-portland-fire-in-first-home-wnba-game-in-more-than-two-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/647321\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans cheer on Portland Fire in first home WNBA game in more than two decades"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professional women\u2019s hoops has returned to Portland after a nearly 24-year absence.<\/p>\n

Thousands of ecstatic basketball fans descended on the Moda Center Sunday for the return of the Portland Fire. It was a preseason game \u2014 meaning it didn\u2019t count towards the team\u2019s record \u2014 but you wouldn\u2019t know it from a crowd that was excited for their first opportunity to see the team play in the Rose City.<\/p>\n

\"Portland<\/p>\n

Portland Fire players huddle before a WNBA preseason basketball game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n

Jenny Kane \/ AP<\/p>\n

Kati Dowling was among 13,550 fans cheering<\/a> on the Fire, who ultimately lost 85-75 to the Los Angeles Sparks. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like it\u2019s the first game of the season, even though it\u2019s a preseason game,\u201d Dowling said, \u201cbecause we haven\u2019t had a game here in 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the first quarter of the game, the crowd erupted in cheers for every bucket as if it were a close playoff game. Haley Jones scored the first two points for the Fire. Jones has plenty of experience playing in front of Oregon crowds, but it was as a visitor, playing road games in Eugene and Corvallis during her college career at Stanford. <\/p>\n

Joining Jones in the starting lineup for Portland was Nyadiew Pouch, Luisa Geisels\u00f6der, Bridget Carleton and Carla Leite. <\/p>\n

The Moda Center crowd included social media influencers in the women\u2019s basketball space like Coach Jackie J<\/a>, former Fire players, beloved Trail Blazer Damian Lillard and his daughters, and former pro soccer player and Olympian Shannon Boxx. <\/p>\n

After the game, Nyadiew Puouch \u2014 who along with rookie Serah Williams led the Fire in scoring with 12 points \u2013 told reporters the energy of the crowd was \u201clike our sixth man.\u201d She said it created a fun atmosphere to play in. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne minute to go, they were still yelling and cheering for us, which is really cool,\u201d Pouch said. \u201cI think it\u2019s one of the best things ever, having your fan base really like getting around you, whether you\u2019re winning or losing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 30th WNBA season comes as the league undergoes enormous change. Portland and the Toronto Tempo joined as new expansion teams this season. Three more expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia will join the league by 2030. <\/p>\n

\"Portland<\/p>\n

Portland Fire guard Carla Leite (0) drives to the basket during the first half of a WNBA preseason basketball game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n

Jenny Kane \/ AP<\/p>\n

The players\u2019 union and the WNBA also just agreed to a historic collective bargaining agreement <\/a>that both sides have called \u201ctransformational\u201d. The labor contract creates a revenue-sharing model that looks similar to other sports leagues, like the NBA. It will ensure a big pay bump for current players and pave the way for future players to get an increasing amount of the revenue they help generate.<\/p>\n

The first iteration of the Portland Fire launched just over a quarter century ago during the fourth season of the WNBA. At that time the league also was going through rapid expansion, doubling in size from its original eight teams to 16 for the 2000 season. Current league and team leaders are aware of that history as they help write the team\u2019s next chapter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a history here that we have to be stewards towards,\u201d Karina LeBlanc, executive vice president of strategic growth for team owner RAJ sports, which owns the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns, told OPB in July when the team name was announced. \u201cAnd it\u2019s being stewards to the city, it\u2019s being stewards to the fan base, it\u2019s being stewards to the athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first iteration of the Fire was a counterpart to the city\u2019s NBA team, the Trail Blazers. The WNBA gave the Blazers\u2019 an option to buy the Fire, find a third party owner, or dissolve the team. The Blazers\u2019 had its own financial struggles at the time, and an independent deal never came through. The first version of the Fire disbanded in late 2002 during a challenging decade for the WNBA, which shrank to 12 teams by 2010.<\/p>\n

\"Portland<\/p>\n

Portland Fire center Luisa Geiselsoder looks up during player introductions before a WNBA preseason basketball game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n

Jenny Kane \/ AP<\/p>\n

The current Trail Blazers are in the midst of their own transition, with a new owner, legislation to renovate the Moda Center and team roster at a crossroads. Other than playing in the same arena, the Blazers and Fire are mostly on separate paths now, and the WNBA looks quite different from the early 2000s. <\/p>\n

Over the last decade, the WNBA renegotiated its TV contracts, ushered in a wave of new investors and increased player salaries. Popularity has skyrocketed, and the previous two seasons have broken attendance and viewership records. <\/p>\n

The Fire join Oregon\u2019s growing roster of women\u2019s sports teams \u2014 including a new pre-professional soccer team the Cherry Bombs and Athlete\u2019s Unlimited professional softball team the Portland Cascade. The Fire also have the benefit of playing in a city known for supporting female athletes<\/a>. <\/p>\n

At Sunday night\u2019s game, although the Fire fell to the Sparks, fans showed up ready to cheer for a group of gifted athletes in an expanding league. The Portland Fire walked off the court to raucous cheers and a standing ovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHearing at the end, after a loss, the crowd, just the support, the cheering, it was incredible,\u201d Alex Sarama, head coach of the Fire, said. \u201cWe actually fed off their energy when we made that run in the 4th \u2014 I think the crowd was such a big part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the Fire lost, they outscored the Sparks 21 to 13 in the final quarter. Sarama said the players commented on the fan energy during timeouts. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say \u2018thank you\u2019 to the fans,\u201d Sarama said. \u201cTo show up like that and be so loud, that means a lot to us, and it\u2019s really gonna help as we head into the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Portland Fire\u2019s official season opener is Saturday May 9th at the Moda Center. <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Portland Fire play the team’s first and only home preseason game in front of more than 13,500 fans on May 3, 2026 in Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n

Emily Hamilton \/ OPB<\/p>\n