Becky Mathisen Shay wears a pin of Pancake, Portland Fire center Megan Gustafson’s corgi at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on July 9, 2026. Gustafson's corgi, Pancake, has become famous among Portland Fire fans.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
It was the final Saturday in May when a sold-out crowd of basketball fans filled the Moda Center for the Portland Fire’s matchup against the Indiana Fever.
Although the Portland Fire had experienced a sold-out crowd before, a lot of fans were at this game to witness a player on the other team: Caitlin Clark, a star for the Fever, a former University of Iowa standout and one of the WNBA’s most famous players.
Yet, it was another former Iowa Hawkeye that led that game in scoring: Portland Fire center Megan Gustafson.
Gustafson put up 22 to Clark’s six, on the way to a lopsided Portland win.
It was an impressive victory for a new team, especially one that had to put a roster together on a truncated schedule. Because of labor negotiations, the Portland Fire only had six weeks to build a roster. Most expansion teams have closer to six months.
After the win over Indiana, Gustafson was asked what was behind the Fire’s “clicking so quickly.”
She started to answer with a straight face.
“We’re a bunch of overlooked players, and I think we all have a chip on our shoulder,” Gustafson said.
And then the 6-foot-4 powerhouse of a player’s tough facade cracked. Through tears, she continued.
“I’ve really never been respected as a basketball player until I’ve gotten here.”
Her teammate, Emily Engstler, at her side facing reporters, looked at the tearful Gustafson.
“I respect you, Meg,” Engstler said.
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) looks for a pass as Portland Fire center Megan Gustafson (17) rushes in to block at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on July 9, 2026. The Portland Fire played the Las Vegas Aces, losing 88-80.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
Gustafson’s words and the emotion behind them resonated far beyond the press room at the Moda Center on that Saturday in May. Some fans point to the Indiana game and Gustafson’s comments as a turning point – the moment they too started taking her seriously.
In college, Gustafson achieved similar accolades as national basketball celebrities like Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, yet as a pro in the U.S., she’s been treated like a bench player. Despite being a center who can nail three-point shots, Gustafson has spent her WNBA career as a supporting character.
Oregonians, wedged between two more recognizable states, can relate. The state has been treated like a pit stop for those traveling from Los Angeles to Seattle. Portland has flirted with fame over the years, such as in the early 2000s when the Rose City was known as a place where young people go to retire. Periodically, Portland is seen as a hotbed of activism, and more generally as a “weird” destination for people searching for a place to fit in.
But any financial benefit from those claims to fame has been largely erased by the pandemic as the state continues to struggle economically.
Unease is part of Portland’s sports identity as well.
This is the second iteration of the Portland Fire – the first folded 24-years ago when its owner at the time, the city’s NBA team, was having its own financial troubles.
The Trail Blazers are once again causing some anxiety for Portland sports fans this summer. City councilors are debating funding for Moda Center renovations under budget pressure on one side and the Trail Blazers’ new owners on the other.
The return of the Portland Fire, however, and Oregon’s growing women’s sports ecosystem have fostered another cultural dimension to the Rose City – which is already known as a women’s sports hub.
The palpable enthusiasm for the state’s new team, plus the economic bump resulting from 12,000 to 19,000 people flocking to Moda Center for 22 home games, has been a bright spot for a state in desperate need of a win.
It’s a turnaround that’s felt by, and in turn fueled by, female athletes like Megan Gustafson as they emerge as Portland superstars.
Flames are sprayed from the top of the goal posts during the Portland Fire starting line introduction at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on July 9, 2026. Gustafson's corgi, Pancake, has become famous among Portland Fire fans.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
Gustafson and Pancake touch down
Gustafson moved to the state with an already stable fan base, but when she arrived at Portland International Airport and posted a video with her corgi, Pancake, the pair rapidly started picking up admirers.
Social media has been crucial to the rise in popularity of women’s sports as athletes like Gustafson have a direct method of connecting with fans.
Bobbi Lee, a longtime fan of Portland women's basketball, at a Fire game on June 17, 2026, at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore.
Kyra Buckley / OPB
Part of it is the rise of social media in American culture, but another aspect is pay: some WNBA players have become experts at marketing themselves to supplement the history of low pay.
Related: Pancake the Corgi's Instagram
Gustafson and Pancake seem to have figured that out. As the season progresses, the Rose City has gotten even more familiar with the 29-year-old, and Gustafson’s stardom has swelled.
When fans talk about Gustafson, they often start with her basketball skills and their love of Pancake. But things get emotional quickly. Some fans teared up talking about how inspired they are watching Gustafson find a home in their city, especially after spending years in the league not getting the respect they say she deserves.
Bobbi Lee is a longtime women’s basketball fan living in Northeast Portland. Lee started paying special attention to Gustafson after seeing her tear up after the Fire beat the Fever.
“I love the way that she’s just so aggressive and scrappy and just puts in 110% effort every time she steps on that court, finds her way inside to get to the basket, can shoot from outside,” Lee told OPB. “She’s an overall threat, and any team would be happy to have her, but we’re so happy that she’s here in Portland.”
‘This should be a household name’
Gustafson was raised by two basketball-playing parents in Port Wing, Wisconsin, a town of fewer than 500 people on Lake Superior. She quickly picked up basketball accolades in her younger years, and the awards kept rolling in as she dazzled crowds at the University of Iowa.
Her senior year, she earned the highest honor in college basketball: Naismith Player of the Year.
Previous winners include some of the world’s best-known female basketball players: Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Brittney Griner and A’ja Wilson. All of those players would go on to be No. 1 draft picks in the WNBA, a fate enjoyed by most Naismith winners.
Not Gustafson. She fell all the way to 17th in 2019 when she was drafted by the Dallas Wings.
The center bounced among three different teams in her first five years in the WNBA. In 2024, Las Vegas signed Gustafson as the primary back-up to A’ja Wilson, one of the world’s best basketball players.
University of Oregon associate professor Courtney M. Cox wrote the book “Double Crossover: Gender, Media, and Politics in Global Basketball” and has been following Gustafson since her college years.
“This should be a household name,” Cox said. “Megan should be someone everyone knows.”
Portland Fire center Megan Gustafson (17) waits for the ball to attempt a free throw at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on July 9, 2026. The Portland Fire played the Las Vegas Aces, losing 88-80.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
Cox says Gustafson is an exceptional athlete who has shown the flexibility to play in leagues spanning multiple countries – she plays on Spain’s Olympic team and competed in Europe’s top league with the London Lions.
But she wasn’t treated like an Olympian in the WNBA, Cox said, and points to Gustafson’s comments about being overlooked.
“I think that moment really brought to life all the different ways of being overlooked and feeling valid, saying, ‘this is the first time I felt really seen, heard, and valued as a professional athlete,’” Cox said. “There’s something really powerful in that to me, especially for a new team and a new franchise.”
Gustafson’s salary reflects her trajectory from role player in the WNBA to superstar.
She didn’t hit the six-figure mark until she signed with Portland, in part because of a new labor agreement that dramatically increased player pay across the league.
But Portland specifically valued Gustafson. The Fire signed Gustafson as a protected player for a two-year contract, making around $500,000 each year.
A team of overlooked players
The Portland Fire team steps off to the side of the court for a timeout at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on July 9, 2026. The Portland Fire played the Las Vegas Aces, losing 88-80.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
Gustafson’s words went beyond just her own journey as a professional athlete – she signaled that all players on Portland’s roster are in a similar situation.
One reason is the way expansion teams are built, Cox said. For the expansion draft, existing teams can protect a handful of players from being drafted to the incoming teams. That means if you’re picked in the expansion draft, you know your previous team chose not to designate you a core member.
Cox said the members of the Fire showed up as chosen members of this team – but were deemed replaceable on their former team.
“It does not take away from the value that these players have had over time – I just want to be very clear about that,” Cox said. “But the feeling, I would absolutely feel the same way.”
It’s Panny the Cake
Harold Chaves shows off his "Section 305, The Panny Pack" sweatshirt on June 17, 2026, at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore.
Kyra Buckley / OPB
Before the team’s first season even started, Portland basketball fan Harold Chaves started googling Fire players as they were announced.
Chaves learned that Gustafson had written a children’s book about her corgi’s travels called Pancake’s Passport.
“I bought the kid’s book, and me and my youngest started reading it,” Chaves, dad of a 5-year-old and a teenager, said. “And we both fell in love with her.”
Chaves loved the connection so much that he made his own clothing patch to give away to members in his season ticket section. The patch has a big paw and says “The Panny Pack.”
He and his kids aren’t the only ones enamored by Gustafson’s fierce basketball skills and adorable dog, Pancake Rose Gustafson. The 7-year-old corgi has her own social media presence and fans from all around the world.
Here in Portland, fan-made Gustafson and Pancake shirts, signs, and even friendship bracelets can be seen throughout Moda Center on gamedays. Those are in addition to traditional jerseys sporting Gustafson’s number 17.
Fans are even coming up with chants for Gustafson and Pancake.
Danielle Hudson and her friends can be found at most games singing “Pancake’s mom has got it going on” to the tune of the Fountains of Wayne song “Stacy’s Mom.”
All images: Saj Sundaram / OPB.
Finding a home and starting a movement
Even early in the season, the support from fans and Gustafson’s growth showed up on the court.
On June 13, the Fire pulled off a close win 84-83 over the Dallas Wings. A confident Gustafson scored 16 points, pulled down six rebounds, set her teammates up for baskets four times, and blocked two shots.
“It goes back to when I first was watching her with the London Lions three years ago,” Fire head coach Alex Sarama told reporters after the Dallas game. “Obviously she did some things that stood out, but there was – I felt with the shooting and that type of skill, I felt like there’s a lot more there.”
Sarama is building a culture that emphasizes player decision-making over repetitive drills. Players have compared practice to a day at the park playing basketball with friends, and many have said they’re playing with joy this season.
Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama talks to reporters at the post-game press conference about the performance of the team at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on July 9, 2026. The Portland Fire played the Las Vegas Aces, losing 88-80.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
It’s that culture that helped hook Portlander Christopher Vuylsteke, a new WNBA fan.
At Vuylsteke’s first game, Gustafson immediately impressed him. He credits the atmosphere created by the coaching staff and the fans for how Gustafson and the Fire are playing.
“Seeing her come along and then her get a spot in the starting lineup has just been a lot of fun,” Vuylsteke said while wearing his No. 17 jersey. “You could see her potential early, and it’s been fun to see her blossom here – and it’s been fun to see her find a home here.”
Fans of the Portland Fire cheer during the WNBA game at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on July 9, 2026.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
The Portland Fire have charmed the city’s WNBA fanbase – newcomers and long-timers alike – in a short amount of time. Gustafson said it’s evident every single night the Fire play that this is a city ready to enthusiastically embrace its new athletes.
“We have some of the loudest fans in the WNBA,” Gustafson told reporters. “And they’re really like our sixth man, to be honest.”
And while every player has garnered a group of fervent admirers, Gustafson fans have the bonus of showing their Portland flair with custom-made Pancake t-shirts, signs, chants and friendship bracelets.
“It’s been really fun to also see a lot of different Pancake items in the crowd,” Gustafson said. “It’s a whole movement. It really is.”
