For three seasons, from 2000 through 2002, the Fire were Portland’s WNBA team, joining the league with Indiana Fever, Miami Sol and Seattle Storm.
As most WNBA teams still were learning how to operate back then, they often leaned heavily on the NBA franchises to which they initially belonged. The Fire were under Paul Allen, the owner of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers were known for their devoted fandom, best exemplified by 814 home sellouts in a row, from 1977 until 1995. By the year 2000, they were among NBA championship contenders. (This information is crucial to understand the circumstances of Fire’s eventual failure.)
Because four teams entered the league at the same time, the expansion draft wasn’t particularly generous to the newcomers. There were six rounds, with the 12 existing teams losing two players each. In the first three rounds, five players were protected from existing teams and each team lost one player. In the second three rounds, three more players were protected by each existing team. General managers complained about the structure, insisting draft created an unfair advantage for existing teams.
Without a significant influx of talent from the expansion draft, the Fire went 10-22 in their first season, which won them the No. 4 overall pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft. They selected Jackie Stiles, the high-scoring shooting guard from Missouri State. Stiles immediately warmed to the people of Portland, recalling to Swish Appeal:
I have such fond memories of the early 2000s Portland Fire. The energy at our games was incredible, and it was amazing to feel the community rally behind us. In my opinion, we had the best fans in the league! Every honor I received, I share with the fans and the community of Portland. Their support pushed me to be better and to do more to make them proud.
Jackie Stiles signs autographs for Portland fans.
The team wasn’t good during its second season either, winning just 11 games. The improvements were slow, but Stiles was seen as the brightest star on the roster, winning Rookie of the Year honors over future legends Lauren Jackson and Tamika Catchings. She also got to spend 20 minutes on the court during the 2001 All-Star Game. However, a different story comes to her mind when she remembers her time in Portland, one that shows how things have changed in the W. As she told Swish Appeal:
It was during a road trip. We tried to save our $100 daily travel per diem by eating cheaply. I wasn’t hungry right after the game, but later on, I started to feel it. I went looking for our trainer to grab some protein bars, and a couple of my teammates, who were getting treatment, mentioned they were hungry too. None of us wanted to splurge on the Ritz-Carlton room service, but we had spotted a Wendy’s nearby and decided to hit the drive-thru. We asked the concierge to call us a cab, but what we didn’t realize was that the Ritz doesn’t call cabs—they call limos! So, we ended up taking a limo to Wendy’s to order off the 99-cent menu. The driver was like, “Is this the only place you ladies want to go?” By the time we factored in the limo, room service would have been cheaper! We still laugh about it to this day.
Next year, the Fire went 16-16. The team was better, but Stiles appeared in just 21 games due to injuries, with only three starts. After that season, the NBA gave team owners three months to either take over the teams or find new owners. Paul Allen didn’t step up, and no other potential local owners emerged. Allen was fine with losing $100 million on the Blazers, but considered the $1 million annual losses generated by the Fire to be too much. To this day, the Fire remain the only franchise in WNBA history that never made the playoffs.
Jackie Stiles drives during a 2002 Fire game.
Photo by: Sam Forencich/WNBAE/Getty Images
The Portland franchise that will join the league in 2026 will give the city a chance to change that. Hopefully, it can learn from the mistakes of the predecessors. And the veterans of Portland’s first WNBA stint are here to offer their wisdom, knowledge and expertise. Stiles said to Swish Appeal:
I’m thrilled about to the news of Portland getting a WNBA expansion team. It’s fantastic to see women’s basketball thriving, and I’m excited to watch the sport continue to grow here with this new team.
What the Fire had in Portland wasn’t necessarily a legacy, but still it would be awesome if the city and the new franchise found a way to honor these trail blazers of professional women’s basketball in Oregon.