The Portland Fire have officially lit up the Moda Center this week, unveiling a dramatic new center-court design that doubles as a mission statement. Nicknamed "The Fire Pit," the floor trades in a standard single-tone surface for layered wood textures and a bold midcourt mark that fuses a rose with a flame. Fans will get their first in-person look when the Fire host the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, May 3, followed by the regular-season home opener against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, May 9.
As reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive, the team locked in the floor at the Moda Center only a few days before that preseason matchup. The outlet notes that the design was built around intentional nods to Portland and to the reborn Fire franchise.
"We set out to create a design that purposefully reflects this city and team history, with intention in every detail," Kimberly Veale told The Oregonian/OregonLive, underscoring how the floor is central to the Fire’s branding push as they return to play this spring.
The Design: A Fire Pit With a Local Thread
Inside each three-point arc, the wood surface is cut into a basket-weave pattern meant to resemble kindling, while center court is stamped with a rose-and-flame hybrid logo, according to Bleacher Report. Along the outer border, a three-tone gradient runs the length of the baselines, shifting from fire red to rose pink to a pale glacier blue and giving the court a distinctive glow under the arena lights.
Where Fans Will See It
The new floor is installed at the Moda Center in the Rose Quarter, where the arena’s event listings already reflect the Fire’s preseason and opening dates. On the team’s official schedule, the Fire are set to face the Los Angeles Sparks in a preseason contest on Sunday, May 3, with the full regular-season home opener against the Chicago Sky locked in for Saturday, May 9. Ticket information is available directly through the club.
Why It Matters
The Fire are the WNBA’s newest franchise for 2026, and their return is drawing national attention as part of the league’s broader expansion. Sports Illustrated and other outlets have tracked the franchise relaunch and its branding choices, with the new court emerging as the most visible in-arena piece of that identity so far. For Portland fans, it is a concrete, hard-wood reminder that top-flight women’s pro basketball is back in town.
With the Fire Pit now set, the team heads into the preseason with a clear visual identity and a home floor intended to serve as a gathering place for fans. The upcoming dates at the Moda Center will function as both a tune-up on the court and a dress rehearsal for the full game-night experience built around Portland’s newest WNBA franchise.
