A Women's National Basketball Association team that began in 2000 and folded after the 2002 season.

The Fire were pretty dismal in their first two summers, going 10-22 and 11-21 in 2000 and 2001, respectively. In 2002, the team began to turn it around, finishing 16-16 in fifth place in the Western Conference.

However, the NBA decided to cut back on its WNBA investment after the 2002 season, and the Fire (along with the Miami Sol) were tagged for contraction. The Fire did not get as much fan support as other WNBA teams did, which speaks ill of Portland basketball fans. The Fire's NBA sibling team, the Portland Trail Blazers, once boasted some of the most rabid and loyal fans in the league, but interest has waned as the players rack up an incredible number of marijuana arrests. One would have hoped that Portland residents would have gone to Fire games in lieu of supporting the "Jail Blazers," but it was not to be.

At the time of dissolution, the Fire's top players were guards Ukari Figgs and Tamicha Jackson, forwards DeMya Walker and Alisa Burras, and center Sylvia Crawley. Off the bench, swingman LaQuanda Barksdale, forward/center Kristin Folkl and forward Stacey Thomas all played for a substantial amount of time. Star guard Jackie Stiles was (and still is) out with a wrist injury.

This writeup was massively re-written on January 12, 2004. Thanks to Apartrix for that.

Sources:
http://www.wnba.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/fire/

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