While plenty of WNBA fans know the Portland Fire is making a bit of a comeback to the league — the team was originally formed in 2000 and folded in 2002 after three seasons — it's possible that not as many are familiar with the fact that the city was also home to another professional women's basketball team.
The Portland Power were part of the American Basketball League (ABL) and played in the city from 1996 until the league disbanded in 1998. The team played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which had a capacity of roughly 10,000 people.
The Power were special, former team member Katy Steding told Oregon Live this week. For Steding ,who grew up outside of the city in Lake Oswego, being able to stay home and play professional basketball in what was essentially her hometown was a dream come true.
She's hopeful that other young girls will see the reborn Fire in action when the team makes its debut in 2026 — and that they'll be inspired to play basketball, too. "There’s a huge gain for young women that find players to look up to and model themselves after," Steding, who is currently an assistant coach at Stanford, told the outlet.
Katy Steding was — and is — a major part of women's basketball
Steding's credentials also extend beyond the Power. She was part of the Stanford team that won the NCAA Championship in 1990 and also a member of the gold medal-winning women's basketball team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She was signed to the Power after coming home from the games.
“I was always so proud to be from Oregon. So proud to be from Portland and the area and having all those connections and being able to help start basketball,” Steding also told Oregon Live.
The Portland Fire will return to the WNBA this season
The only thing standing between the newly reformed Fire and the 2026 WNBA season is the same thing that's standing in front of, well, the entire WNBA: the players and the league have yet to sign a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). That has slowed down a lot in terms of league business, and both the Fire and the Toronto Tempo have been unable to host expansion drafts, a crucial first step in putting together their team rosters.
The two teams aren't the only ones impacted by the protracted CBA discussions: free agency has yet to begin, and even the 2026 WNBA Draft could be in jeopardy if an agreement is not signed soon.