The Portland Fire have a lot of talent. Carla Leite looks like an All-Star in just her second WNBA season, averaging 15.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. She has also vastly improved as a 3-point shooter. Veterans Bridget Carleton, Megan DiLeo, and Emily Engstler are playing their best basketball yet in expanded roles. Moreover, Sarah Ashlee Barker was playing well before an injury cut her season short, and Frieda Bühner looks like a second-round steal.
But that’s not even it yet. The Fire still have their first-round pick, Iyana Martín, hidden away in Spain. While WNBA fans in the U.S. haven’t seen or heard much from Martín since the draft, they will get a good look at her on a big stage at the FIBA World Cup in Berlin this month.
Martín already made her senior national team debut in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, but this will be her first time playing in the World Cup or the Olympics. She will face plenty of WNBA players in the tournament, giving the Fire a good sense of how she matches up against that level of talent before hopefully joining the team next year.
Spain will face Japan, Germany, and Mali in the group stage
Spain is in Group A with Japan, Germany, and Mali and should have a solid chance to win that group. With WNBA players Megan DiLeo, Awa Fam, Maria Conde, and Raquel Carrera leading the charge, Spain is set up pretty well after a fifth-place finish at the Paris Olympics and winning a EuroBasket silver medal last year.
Germany may be without Satou Sabally, but Nyara Sabally, Leonie Fiebich, Luisa Geiselsöder, and Frieda Bühner still provide the team with plenty of WNBA talent. Moreover, Japan’s Mai Yamamoto plays for the Aces, and Sika Kone, who should suit up for Mali, is on the Dream’s roster.
That’s plenty of WNBA talent for Martín to prove herself against. If Spain advances, other stacked teams will be waiting.
Martín’s EuroBasket run last year was cut short by an injury, but she put together three strong games that suggest that she will be just fine on the World Cup stage. She started out with an efficient 14 points in 14 minutes against Great Britain, but also turned the ball over four times. Then she recorded 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists against Germany. Last but not least, Martín scored eight points against Sweden. She is certainly one of the most intriguing young players on Spain’s roster—and just as intriguing for a WNBA team trying to build a competitive roster around Leite.
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