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MICHAEL DUNNE: I’m Michael Dunne. Imagine launching a business before you even have products to sell, or opening a theater without any actors for the play. In a sense, Oregon’s brand-new WNBA team, the Portland Fire, is doing just that. The team recently announced its inaugural season schedule, even though it doesn’t yet have any players.
Today on the show, we check in with our colleague at OPB, Kyra Buckley, about the status of the Fire and how they’re under pressure to put a team together before next season begins. Then we’ll talk with two of our reporters about what it’s like to cover recent protests in our community, including one that turned violent.
Kyra Buckley is a reporter at Oregon Public Broadcasting. Kyra, it’s great to talk with you. How are things?
KYRA BUCKLEY: So good. Thanks so much for having me on.
MICHAEL DUNNE: With so much difficult news in the world right now, it’s nice to talk about something positive. You had a great story about the Portland Fire releasing their schedule. I hope you saw the Portlandia sketch with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein about the team. Did you see that?
KYRA BUCKLEY: I did. It was really fun. If you’re a Portlandia fan, or even if you’ve only seen an episode or two, I think you’ll enjoy it. And if you’re a women’s basketball fan, you’ll notice a very famous player making an appearance at the end.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Absolutely. Just Google “Portlandia” and “Fire.” It’s really funny. But the team released a schedule even though it doesn’t have players yet. What stood out to you about it?
KYRA BUCKLEY: The biggest thing is that they’re telling us when games will be played, even though Portland doesn’t yet have a roster. That’s also the case for the Toronto Tempo, the other expansion team. Despite that, the WNBA and the Portland Fire released a 44-game schedule for the league’s 30th season.
Here in Portland, there’s plenty to get excited about. The first game tips off May 9, with the Fire hosting the Chicago Sky. But I think many fans are especially looking forward to the second home game on May 12, when the New York Liberty come to town. We don’t yet know how free agency will shake out, but that’s Sabrina Ionescu’s team.
Overall, people are excited that the season appears on track to start in May. And fans in Oregon will have the chance to attend 22 home games in Portland.
MICHAEL DUNNE: That is exciting. It’s interesting how this has come together. The team has management in place, a coach and a coaching staff. Talk about that, and then we’ll get into how you actually build a roster.
KYRA BUCKLEY: The Fire are really focused on controlling what they can control right now. That means building out the business side and the coaching staff. The rollout wasn’t entirely smooth at first. They hired a team president who didn’t stay long, then brought in an interim president who now appears to be in place for the foreseeable future.
They’ve since assembled a strong management team, including people who worked on the most recent expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries. Head coach Alex Sarama is well-known in innovative basketball circles. And on the coaching staff, they’ve added Sylvia Fowles, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, as an assistant coach.
It’s a star-studded group, and that’s what the Fire and their ownership can control right now. They’re moving full steam ahead as if the season will start on time in May.
MICHAEL DUNNE: You mentioned the Valkyries. What stood out to me as a sports fan is how quickly they became competitive. Is there hope the Fire can replicate that?
KYRA BUCKLEY: There is hope, but the clock is ticking. The Golden State Valkyries really set the bar high for expansion teams. One thing I’ve been watching closely is ticket sales. Golden State sold close to 20,000 season tickets. Portland is at about 15,000, which still says a lot about local enthusiasm.
The Valkyries had more time. They held their expansion draft about five months before training camp and had their roster and coaching staff in place well ahead of the season. For reasons outside their control, the Portland Fire aren’t quite there yet.
MICHAEL DUNNE: So how do they actually build a roster?
KYRA BUCKLEY: Expansion teams have a few main avenues. First is the expansion draft, where they can select players from other teams. That’s how the Valkyries built most of their roster. Next is free agency, where players not under certain contracts can negotiate with teams, including expansion teams. And then there’s the rookie draft, where players come straight from college.
The WNBA is unique in that the college draft happens in April, with training camp about a month later. A player can go from college to professional basketball almost immediately. The Fire are in a unique position because they can’t hold their expansion draft yet.
MICHAEL DUNNE: That sounds incredibly difficult. Do expansion teams get the first pick in the rookie draft?
KYRA BUCKLEY: No. It might seem logical, but draft picks are governed by complex rules and trades. There’s no guarantee expansion teams get top picks. Portland is waiting on the outcome of collective bargaining negotiations between the players union and league officials. Once that agreement is in place, the expansion draft can happen. Right now, talks are stalled.
MICHAEL DUNNE: What are the main sticking points in those negotiations?
KYRA BUCKLEY: Players are going to get paid more regardless of the outcome. The disagreement is over revenue sharing. The league has proposed sharing net revenue, while players want a share of gross revenue so they can benefit directly from the league’s current growth rather than years down the line.
Both sides say they want the season to start on time, but we haven’t seen much movement toward agreement yet.
MICHAEL DUNNE: So there is a chance, however small, that the season could be delayed?
KYRA BUCKLEY: Yes. The players union has authorized a strike if needed, though that doesn’t mean it will happen. League officials and team owners have been clear they want to avoid a work stoppage. We won’t know for sure until tipoff in May.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Timing is everything. People may remember there was once a Portland Fire, and it didn’t last. Talk about how different the WNBA is now.
KYRA BUCKLEY: The first Fire team existed during a period when the WNBA was contracting. That’s not the case now. Women’s basketball is surging in popularity, in part because access has improved. More games are on TV, more people are attending college games, and exposure has increased overall.
The league is predominantly Black and led by outspoken queer women who talk openly about issues like pay inequity. That resonates with a lot of fans. People see themselves represented and want to support not just the game, but the culture around it.
The WNBA is breaking attendance and viewership records, signing stronger TV deals, and attracting more investment. All of that bodes well for Portland entering the league at this moment.
MICHAEL DUNNE: We’ve also seen players take strong public stances, including Brianna Stewart recently.
KYRA BUCKLEY: Absolutely. Stewart protested federal immigration enforcement, and that fits a broader pattern. Players have long been involved in racial justice movements and protests against police brutality, even before those issues were widely embraced in popular culture.
Many players say they’ve always faced adversity, so standing up for their communities comes naturally. Fans respond to that authenticity.
MICHAEL DUNNE: It’s an exciting moment. Kyra Buckley, reporter at OPB, thank you so much for joining us.
KYRA BUCKLEY: Thanks for having me.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Now let’s bring in our local reporters who’ve been covering multiple protests. Julia Boboc and Nathan Wilk from KLCC, thank you both for being here.
JULIA BOBOC AND NATHAN WILK: Thank you for having us.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Covering a protest is very different from a standard interview. Julia, you’re relatively new to this. What makes covering protests so unusual?
JULIA BOBOC: One interesting part is simply being a person in a huge crowd where everyone blends in, but you’re wearing headphones and holding a microphone. Even if the mic is off, people notice. You get looks, and you can sense curiosity or uncertainty.
I’ve been fortunate to cover protests that remained peaceful. That’s allowed me to focus on why people showed up and what it means to them to be among others who care about the same issue.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Nathan, in your most recent coverage, things escalated. What was that like?
NATHAN WILK: Covering protests often involves a lot of waiting. At anti-ICE protests, people wait to see if DHS comes out of the building. Protester behavior is often predictable. The real question is how federal law enforcement responds.
At this protest, there had already been an altercation before I arrived. As the day went on, DHS began coming out more frequently and unpredictably. When what sounded like a flash-bang went off, everything shifted. People ran, tear gas was deployed, and the tone changed instantly.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Julia, does being visibly identifiable as a reporter create tension?
JULIA BOBOC: At first, yes. I worried I might be overstepping just by being there with a microphone. But when I actually approached people, many thanked me for being there. That was surprising and reassuring.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Nathan, how much does the broader context of violence elsewhere factor into your thinking while reporting?
NATHAN WILK: A lot. I spoke with someone who had been injured, and it’s sobering. You spend hours not knowing whether things will calm down or escalate. As a journalist, you’re constantly weighing the risk of getting closer for better reporting against the possibility of getting hurt or incapacitated.
It’s easy to underestimate the danger until something happens. And ultimately, you don’t want anyone to get hurt.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Julia Boboc and Nathan Wilk, thank you for your reporting and for sharing your experiences.
JULIA BOBOC AND NATHAN WILK: Thank you.
MICHAEL DUNNE: That’s the show for today. All episodes of Oregon On The Record are available as a podcast at KLCC.org. On Monday, Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson joins us to discuss recent protests and ways the community might come together to support peaceful change. I’m Michael Dunne, host of Oregon On The Record. Thanks for listening.
