Portland Fire
Encyclopedia
The Portland Fire joined the Women's National Basketball Association
(WNBA) in 2000 as the counterpart to the NBA
team the Portland Trail Blazers
. They played their games at Rose Garden
in Portland, Oregon
. The team folded after the 2002 season, after just three seasons in the league. They were the only WNBA team that had never made the playoffs because of their dismal records, until the Chicago Sky
joined the league.
owner Paul Allen
served as the team's chairman. Led by Vanessa Nygaard
and Sylvia Crawley
, the team managed a 10-22 win-loss record in their inaugural season. In the 2001 season, the team faced another losing season but found hope in the play of rookie guard Jackie Stiles
, who would win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award
. However, in 2002 Stiles suffered a severe injury and was out for most of the season. Without their star player, the Fire faced another losing campaign.
The 2002 season proved to be the Portland Fire's swan song season, but most improved. After this season, the WNBA sold ownership of their franchises to owners of their counterpart NBA
teams or to third parties. Fire chairman Paul Allen's continued financial problems with what was seen league-wide as an underachieving Trail Blazers team put him out of the running to buy the Fire franchise and led to the Portland Fire folding in 2002. With this, the Fire became the only WNBA franchise not to make the playoffs to win a conference and WNBA title, and along with the Miami Sol
, the WNBA franchise with the shortest lifespan.
The Head Coach:
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
(WNBA) in 2000 as the counterpart to the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
team the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
. They played their games at Rose Garden
Rose Garden Arena
Rose Garden, commonly known as the Rose Garden Arena, is the primary indoor sports arena in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is suitable for large indoor events of all sorts, including basketball, ice hockey, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts, and dramatic productions...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The team folded after the 2002 season, after just three seasons in the league. They were the only WNBA team that had never made the playoffs because of their dismal records, until the Chicago Sky
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky is a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2006 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Michael J. Alter and Margaret Stender...
joined the league.
History
In its short, three-year history, the Portland Fire franchise held some of the more dubious distinctions among WNBA franchises. Founded in 2000, Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
owner Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
served as the team's chairman. Led by Vanessa Nygaard
Vanessa Nygaard
Vanessa Nygaard is a former professional basketball player and a collegiate assistant coach. She is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association .- Stanford University :After graduating from high school in Carlsbad, California,...
and Sylvia Crawley
Sylvia Crawley
Sylvia Crawley is a former collegiate and professional women's basketball forward, licensed minister and motivational speaker...
, the team managed a 10-22 win-loss record in their inaugural season. In the 2001 season, the team faced another losing season but found hope in the play of rookie guard Jackie Stiles
Jackie Stiles
Jackie Marie Stiles is a retired basketball shooting guard who set scoring records in college, and then played briefly in the Women's National Basketball Association .-High school:...
, who would win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award
The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States, each of whom...
. However, in 2002 Stiles suffered a severe injury and was out for most of the season. Without their star player, the Fire faced another losing campaign.
The 2002 season proved to be the Portland Fire's swan song season, but most improved. After this season, the WNBA sold ownership of their franchises to owners of their counterpart NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
teams or to third parties. Fire chairman Paul Allen's continued financial problems with what was seen league-wide as an underachieving Trail Blazers team put him out of the running to buy the Fire franchise and led to the Portland Fire folding in 2002. With this, the Fire became the only WNBA franchise not to make the playoffs to win a conference and WNBA title, and along with the Miami Sol
Miami Sol
The Miami Sol was a women's basketball team which joined the Women's National Basketball Association in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena. The team folded after the 2002 season because of financial problems...
, the WNBA franchise with the shortest lifespan.
Season-by-season records
| Season | Team | Conference | Regular Season | Playoff WNBA Playoffs The WNBA Playoffs is a best-of-three elimination tournament between eight teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association , ultimately deciding the final two teams who will play in the WNBA Finals.... Results |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | |||||
| Portland Fire | |||||||
| 2000 2000 WNBA season -External links:**... |
2000 2000 Portland Fire season The 2000 WNBA season was the 1st season for the Portland Fire.-Expansion Draft:-WNBA Draft:-Season schedule:-Player stats:... |
West Western Conference (WNBA) The Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Western Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Eastern Conference... |
7th | 10 | 22 | .313 | |
| 2001 2001 WNBA season -External links:**... |
2001 2001 Portland Fire season The 2001 WNBA season was the 2nd season for the Portland Fire. The Fire failed to qualify for the WNBA Playoffs for the second consecutive year.-WNBA Draft:-Season schedule:-Player stats:... |
West Western Conference (WNBA) The Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Western Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Eastern Conference... |
7th | 11 | 21 | .344 | |
| 2002 2002 WNBA season -External links:***... |
2002 2002 Portland Fire season The 2002 WNBA season was the 3rd and final season for the Portland Fire franchise. The team improved compared from their first two seasons, but playoff hopes were denied when they finished one game back for a playoff berth... |
West Western Conference (WNBA) The Western Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association is made up of six teams.The Western Conference playoffs is divided into two playoff rounds, The Conference Semi-Finals and The Conference Finals with the winner of the Conference Championship facing the Eastern Conference... |
5th | 16 | 16 | .500 | |
| Regular season | 37 | 59 | .385 | 0 Conference Championships | |||
| Playoffs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 WNBA Championships | |||
The Fire Roster: The Players and the Coach (2000–2002)
The Players:- Tully BevilaquaTully BevilaquaTully Louise Bevilaqua is an Australian professional women's basketball player. She currently plays for the San Antonio Silver Stars in the WNBA and the West Coast Waves in Australia's WNBL....
, now a member of the San Antonio Silver StarsSan Antonio Silver StarsThe San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...
- Monique CardenasMonique CardenasMonique Cardenas is a former American professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association .-High school:Cardenas attended Keystone Heights Junior/Senior High School in Keystone Heights, Florida....
, retired after rookie season and the Fire's folding in 2002.
- Sylvia CrawleySylvia CrawleySylvia Crawley is a former collegiate and professional women's basketball forward, licensed minister and motivational speaker...
, now the Head Coach for the Boston College EaglesBoston College EaglesThe Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...
- Kristin FolklKristin FolklKristin Just Folkl is a former collegiate and professional women's basketball player. She now goes by her married name of Kristin Folkl-Kaburakis.-Early years and Stanford University:...
, retired after the Fire's folding in 2002.
- Melody JohnsonMelody JohnsonMelody Johnson is a former American women's basketball player who attended University of Colorado and Arizona State University. She entered the 2002 WNBA Draft, and was selected by the Portland Fire. She retired from professional basketball following her rookie season in 2002...
, retired after rookie season and the Fire's folding in 2002.
- Vanessa NygaardVanessa NygaardVanessa Nygaard is a former professional basketball player and a collegiate assistant coach. She is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association .- Stanford University :After graduating from high school in Carlsbad, California,...
: former assistant coach with the Washington MysticsWashington MysticsThe Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
and San Antonio Silver StarsSan Antonio Silver StarsThe San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...
.
- Lynn PrideLynn Pride-External links:*...
: Played for Portland in the inauguaral expansion 2000 season before being traded to the Lynx, where she played for two and a half seasons (2001-03). She was waived by the Lynx before signing up with the Sparks, where she played the rest of the 2003 season before retiring.
- Jackie StilesJackie StilesJackie Marie Stiles is a retired basketball shooting guard who set scoring records in college, and then played briefly in the Women's National Basketball Association .-High school:...
: Selected fourth overall by the Portland Fire in the 2001 WNBA Draft, she was later voted the Rookie of the Year on August 16, 2001. But since that high point, Stiles has suffered numerous injuries, including 13 surgeries, which has greatly hampered her WNBA career (2001-03). After the Fire folded in 2002, Stiles was selected 14th by the Los Angeles Sparks to play for the Sparks in the 2003 season, but did not play due to spending rehabilitation time for her injuries. She retired from the WNBA after that season, though her WNBA rights are still owned by the last team she was with, the L.A. Sparks. After an injury-hampered WNBA career, in 2004, Stiles made her first comeback to basketball in a new league on a new basketball team and signed with the Lubbock HawksLubbock HawksThe Lubbock Hawks were a women's professional basketball team in the National Women's Basketball League . Based in Lubbock, Texas, they played in 2005....
(in Lubbock, Texas) of the National Women's Basketball LeagueNational Women's Basketball LeagueThe National Women's Basketball League, often abbreviated to the NWBL, was an organization governing professional basketball leagues for women in the United States. The league was founded in 1997 and began play in the Fall of that year. The league used to have its own season during the off-season...
(NWBL), which proved unsuccessful for her. Stiles made her second comeback to basketball in a different league with a different team on September 29, 2006, when the Canberra Times reported that Stiles signed to play for the Canberra CapitalsCanberra CapitalsThe Canberra TransACT Capitals are an Australian Women's Basketball League team based in Canberra, Australia. TransACT Communications is the current naming rights sponsor for the Canberra Capitals...
in the Women's National Basketball LeagueWomen's National Basketball LeagueThe Women's National Basketball League is the pre-eminent women's professional basketball league in Australia. It currently is composed of ten teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League...
in Australia.
- Stacey ThomasStacey ThomasStacey Thomas is a former American professional basketball player.Thomas attended college at University of Michigan and graduated in 2000. Following her collegiate career, she was selected 23rd overall in the 2000 WNBA Draft by the Portland Fire...
: She was selected 23rd overall in the 2000 WNBA Draft2000 WNBA Draft2000 WNBA Draft - 25 April 2000*On December 15, 1999, a WNBA expansion draft took place.*On April 25, 2000 the regular WNBA draft took place.-Expansion Draft:-College draft:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:...
by the Portland Fire. When she became a free agent after the Fire's folding following the 2002 season, she signed with Portland's I-5 rivals, the Seattle StormSeattle StormThe Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
, but was waived before she even played in a Storm uniform. She played for the Phoenix MercuryPhoenix MercuryThe Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
, the team that signed Thomas after the Storm let her go, the 2003 WNBA Championship Detroit ShockDetroit ShockThe Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
team, the Minnesota LynxMinnesota LynxThe Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...
, and then the Charlotte StingCharlotte StingThe Charlotte Sting was a Women's National Basketball Association franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina and it was one of the league's eight original teams. The team folded on January 3, 2007....
. After the 2006 Charlotte StingCharlotte StingThe Charlotte Sting was a Women's National Basketball Association franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina and it was one of the league's eight original teams. The team folded on January 3, 2007....
season, Stacey Thomas decided to retire from the WNBA in 2006 because she thought it was time. Following her retirement, the Charlotte Sting folded on January 3, 2007, just a few months prior to the start of the next WNBA season.
- Michele Van GorpMichele Van GorpMichele Van Gorp is a former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association , most recently with the Minnesota Lynx.- Early career :...
: An assistant coach at Colgate UniversityColgate UniversityColgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
since June 2007.
- DeMya WalkerDeMya WalkerDeMya Chakheia Walker is a professional basketball player from the United States.-High school:...
: Signed a free agent contract with the Portland Fire in 2000 after being released by the Minnesota LynxMinnesota LynxThe Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...
a few months back, and played with them for all three seasons of their existence. The WNBA held a Dispersal draft on April 24, 2003, which Walker was a part of, that involved various former players from the newly-defunct Portland Fire and Miami Sol franchises that were chosen by the existing WNBA teams. The Sacramento Monarchs selected Walker as the fifth overall pick in the 2003 WNBA Dispersal Draft. Walker played the next several seasons with the Monarchs (2003-08), and helped the team win the 2005 WNBA Finals by defeating the Connecticut SunConnecticut SunThe Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
, three games to one. Walker was waived by the Monarchs on May 15, 2008. Walker was resigned by the team on July 21, 2008, making her a free agent or another WNBA retiree who started their career with the dubious Portland Fire.
- Sophia WitherspoonSophia WitherspoonSophia L. Witherspoon is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a guard for seven seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association . Witherspoon played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was selected in the second round of the 1997 WNBA Draft...
: Played a total of 7 seasons in the WNBA. Two of them with the Portland Fire (The first two seasons in franchise history; 2000 & 2001). Before that, she played with the New York LibertyNew York LibertyThe New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
from 1997-99. After her 2000-01 stint with the Fire, she played her last two seasons with the Los Angeles SparksLos Angeles SparksThe Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
in 2002-03 before retiring.
The Head Coach:
- Linda Hargrove: served as general manager of the Washington MysticsWashington MysticsThe Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
until 2008.