In 2026, the Portland Fire will make its return to the WNBA.
It’s been nearly 25 years since the Fire last played in front of Portland fans, so now is as good a time as any for new fans to become acquainted with the team’s top players from its initial run.
Here is a look at some of the Portland Fire’s top players from the team’s initial run from 2000-2002.
The intensity of the game was reflected in the faces of DeMya Walker, left, and Sylvia Crawley.SP- THE OREGONIANSylvia Crawley, 6-foot-5 forward
The Portland Fire’s all-time leader in points (935), rebounds (522) and blocks (87), Crawley was one of the true standouts for the Fire in the early days.
Crawley was sent to the San Antonio Silver Stars in the 2003 Dispersal Draft after the Fire folded, but a neck injury derailed her season. She played in 33 games in 2003 (starting just eight) while scoring 3.5 points per game.
Crawley’s career-high in scoring came on June 8, 2000, when she scored 25 points as the Fire fell 81-72 to the Utah Starzz.
In 2004, Crawley retired from basketball and switched to coaching full time. When she was playing for the Fire, Crawley was also an assistant coach for North Carolina (her alma mater). She was an assistant at Fordham from 2004-2006, and then took over as head coach at Ohio from 2006-2008. She later was the head coach at Boston College from 2008-2012. She spent the 2014 season as an assistant for the Indiana Fever and then was an assistant again at North Carolina from 2016 to 2019.
Extra credit: Crawley played for both the Portland Fire and the Portland Power, the city’s two notable professional women’s basketball teams.
Jackie Stiles takes the court during starting line-up announcements at a Fire game. During her senior year at Southwest Missouri State Stiles set the NCAA Women’s Career Scoring Record with 3,393 points. She was the 4th pick in the 2001 WNBA draft. ‘I can remember asking people, ‘What do you do?” Stiles said of introductions at the start of the games, ‘It’s like you see in the NBA games and I think, ‘Wow, I’m a part of this.” PHOTO BY ROBYN LARSEN/THE OREGONIANLC- THE OREGONIANJackie Stiles, 5-foot-8 guard
The No. 4 pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft, Stiles was a big highlight for the Fire in her time in Portland. In 2001, she was selected for the WNBA All-Star Game and was the WNBA Rookie of the Year, the team’s lone award winner in its three-year lifespan.
Stiles was known for her abilities as a 3-point shooter. In her career, she made 40.6% of her 3-pointers and averaged 11.4 points per game. She is No. 12 in the WNBA’s career 3-point percentage leaderboard.
Stiles scored a career-high 32 points on July 28, 2001, making four-of-nine 3-pointers as the Fire fell 88-83 to the Los Angeles Sparks.
In 2012, Stiles switched to coaching. She was an assistant at Loyola Marymount from 2012-2013, then worked as an assistant at Missouri State (her alma mater) from 2013-2019. She spent 2019-2021 as an assistant at Oklahoma before switching to Tulsa for the 2021 season.
Portland Fire forward DeMya Walker fights for a rebound against Sacramento’s Ticha Penicheiro, left, and Ruthie Bolton during a game in 2002.SP- THE OREGONIANDeMya Walker, 6-foot-3 forward
Walker was brought in as a free agent ahead of the 2000 season. After two years as a bench player, Walker saw a lot more action in 2002, when she averaged 10.9 points and five rebounds per game, and was a finalist for Most Improved Player.
Her top game with the Fire came on July 10, 2002, putting up 21 points in a 75-72 victory against the Lynx.
After the Fire folded, Walker was taken by the Sacramento Monarchs in the dispersal draft. In 2005, Walker averaged a career-high 14.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, was named an All-Star and helped Sacramento win the WNBA Championship.
Walker stayed with Sacramento until 2009 and moved around the WNBA a lot in her final years. She played in 2010 and 2011 with the Connecticut Sun, spent 2011 with the Washington Mystics, and played 2012 and 2013 with the New York Liberty.
Detroit Shock’s Deanna Nolan (14) and Portland Fire’s Alisa Burras (41) battle for the ball under the basket during a basketball game at The Rose Garden on July 22, 2001.LC- THE OREGONIANAlisa Burras, 6-foot-3 center
Burras has the distinction of being the Fire’s first player, as she was taken with the team’s first pick in the 2000 expansion draft. Burras spent her three years with the Fire mostly seeing action off the bench.
She did score a game-high, and career-high, 22 points in an 80-69 victory against the Cleveland Rockers on June 28, 2000.
After the Fire folded, Burras was taken by Seattle in the 2003 dispersal draft. She again was a rotational player coming off the bench for the Storm and retired at the end of the 2003 season.
Guard Sophia Witherspoon celebrates as the Portland Fire overcome a double-digit deficit to defeat the Phoenix Mercury in overtime on June 4, 2001.SP- THE OREGONIANSophia Witherspoon, 5-foot-10 guard
Witherspoon was taken with the pick after Burras in the 2000 expansion draft and became an immediately game changer for the Fire. Witherspoon averaged 16.8 points per game in 2000, the Fire’s all-time leader in single-season scoring,
Witherspoon scored a career-high 31 points on July 2, 2000 in an 81-75 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
Ahead of the 2002 season, Witherspoon was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks for Ukari Figgs and Gergana Slavcheva. In Los Angeles, Witherspoon was a member of the 2002 WNBA Championship team but saw limited time on the court. She retired after the 2003 season.
Kristin Folkl grabs the rebound as Minnesota Lynx’s Maylana Martin tries to grab from behind during a game from 2001.SP- THE OREGONIANKristin Folkl, 6-foot-2 forward
Folkl was a two-sport star at Stanford, playing for the Cardinal’s volleyball and basketball teams. She was taken in the 1999 WNBA Draft by the Lynx and was traded to the Fire in February 2001.
In her first year with the Fire, Folkl started almost every game and averaged 5.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. In 2002, she was switched to a bench role and averaged 4.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
After the Fire closed its doors in 2002, Folkl played professionally overseas.
Portland Fire’s Stacey Thomas (11) and Simone Edwards (4) of Seattle Storm, struggle over a loose ball during a game in 2001.SP-Stacey Thomas, 5-foot-10 forward
Thomas was selected 23rd overall in the 2000 WNBA Draft by the Fire and quickly found herself as a quality starter while averaging 5.1 points with 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
But her rookie season turned out to be her best, as she was moved to a role coming off the bench in 2001, dropping to 12.9 minutes per game and averaging 1.8 points.
After the Fire stopped operation, Thomas played for the Phoenix Mercury, the Detroit Shock and the Minnesota Lynx. She was a member of the 2003 Shock as they won the WNBA Championship.
Portland’s Tully Bevilaqua fouls Miami’s Vanessa Nygaard while going for a steal early in a Portland Fire basketball game.LC- THE OREGONIANTully Bevilaqua, 5-foot-7 guard
Bevilaqua was brought to Portland as a free agent in 2000 and played for the Fire in all three years. She holds the franchise record for career assists and steals in a single season.
One of Bevilaqua’s top performances for the Fire came on June 28, 2000 in an 80-69 victory against the Cleveland Rockers, where she scored nine points with eight assists and six steals.
After the Fire folded, Bevilaqua spent two seasons with Seattle (winning the 2004 WNBA Championship) before a six-year tenure playing for the Indiana Fever. She finished out her WNBA career with the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2011 and 2012.
Bevilaqua was an assistant coach for the Mercury in 2023 and was a video associate for the Fever in 2024.
Portland’s Ukari Figgs drives as Miami’s Vanessa Nygaard defends during a game in 2002.SP- THE OREGONIANUkari Figgs, 5-foot-9 guard
Figgs only spent one year in Portland, but was one of the most important pieces to the 2002 Fire roster. She was one of only two players to start 31 of the team’s 32 games that season, averaging 8.5 points and a team-leading 3.4 assists per game.
On July 25, 2002, Figgs put up a career-high 22 points in an 81-80 loss to Sacramento.
After the 2002 season, Figgs was drafted by Houston in the dispersal draft and was a consistent starter for the Comets (averaging 4.4 points and 2.4 assists per game). At the end of the 2003 season, Figgs retired from professional basketball.
Portland Fire’s Vanessa Nygaard pulls down a rebound while battling with Charlotte Sting’s Andrea Stinson during a game in 2000.LC- THE OREGONIANVanessa Nygaard, 6-foot-1 forward
Nygaard joined the Fire in 2000 and was an instant standout. She started 28 of 32 games that season, averaging 7.9 points per game. Nygaard’s production dropped in 2001, and she came off the bench and averaged one-third of the playing time as the previous year.
In May 2002, Nygaard was traded to Miami and was a role player for the Sol. She spent 2003 with the Los Angeles Sparks, but saw limited playing time.
After the 2003 season, Nygaard moved to coaching. She was an assistant at Long Beach State from 2003-2004 then at Pepperdine from 2004-2008. She was an assistant for the San Antonio Stars in 2008 before shifting to Windward High School in California from 2008-2021.
In 2021, Nygaard returned to coaching professional basketball as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces. She was then the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury in 2022 and 2023 but was fired 12 games into the 2023 season. Her WNBA coaching record stands at 17-31.
For the past two years, Nygaard has been coaching at UC San Diego.