The sports world is still wrapping its head around the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the seven others that were aboard that helicopter that crashed in Calabasas just outside of Los Angeles.
Kobe was lauded for, among many other things, his robust support of women’s basketball which was symbolized by his daughter’s dream to play for UConn and then in the WNBA.
A lot of pieces have been written how the best way to honor the Bryants’ legacy is, with many mentioning that more of an effort should be put into supporting women’s basketball.
The Times – a newspaper in the Portland, Oregon area believes that a great way to honor said legacy is to bring back the Portland Fire.
The Fire was established in 2000 before dissolving in 2002 and did not make the playoffs in its short-lived history. The Fire went 37-59 in three seasons of existence.
It is not the only Portland-area institution that has clamored for the return of WNBA basketball to Oregon. Damian Lillard has also suggested that the W would do well to give Portland another try.
If Portland had a WNBA team they would get a lot of fan support …
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) June 2, 2017
He has a point. A Fire return would create a new I-5 rivalry between the Fire and Storm ala those classic Trail Blazers-Sonics contests of yesteryear.
