History was made on Saturday as French guard Carla Leite etched her name into the franchise record books during the Fire’s win over the Seattle Storm. Since arriving from the Golden State Valkyries, Leite has been on a tear. Having left her backup role behind to be a franchise star, she must indeed be “thrilled to be with this new franchise.” Her performances this season certainly suggest so.

As announced by the Portland Fire page on X, during the third quarter of Portland’s 77-72 victory over Seattle, Leite recorded her 105th assist of the season. With that, she surpassed a franchise record that had stood for 24 years. She finished the game with four assists, bringing her season total to 107 and further cementing her remarkable debut campaign.

Of course, the Portland Fire is a new expansion team that only began play during the 2026 WNBA season. However, the current Portland Fire franchise is a revival of the team. The original Portland Fire competed in the WNBA from 2000 to 2002 before folding due to financial reasons.

As part of the Fire’s return this season, the WNBA revived the original franchise’s identity and history. Consequently, the records set by that team more than two decades ago remain part of the official franchise record book. In Leite’s case, her new single-season assists record surpasses the 104 assists set by Ukari Figgs during the 2002 season.

From a broader perspective, this record only adds to the phenomenal season Carla Leite is putting together. Along with her four assists in the 77-72 victory over the Seattle Storm, which happened to take place on the Fourth of July, America’s Independence Day, she also poured in a team-high 20 points and three rebounds.

Through 18 games this season, Leite is averaging 15.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game. She ranks first in scoring for the Portland Fire and sits ninth overall in the WNBA in assists. While that falls short of an MVP run, the French guard can certainly lay claim to being the league’s Most Improved Player, tussling with Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga and Chicago Tempo forward Aneesah Morrow.

The Fire will play its next game against the Las Vegas Aces. And if they are going to come away with a win, Leite will likely need to deliver another outstanding performance. The victory over Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak. They will now be hoping to pull off an upset against the league-leading Aces to keep that winning momentum going.

Portland Fire is championing revival with a record-breaking year

Apart from Carla Leite’s achievement, several other franchise milestones have also been rewritten during the Portland Fire’s return to the WNBA. Remarkably, all of these records have been broken in just 21 games this season.

First, the Fire have already shattered the franchise’s single-season record for three-pointers made. The team broke the previous mark of 127 made three-pointers in a season, stretching the count to 196 as per Basketball Reference. The team also set a new franchise record for most points scored in a game, putting up 123 points in a thrilling quadruple-overtime battle against the Washington Mystics.

Since the original franchise’s single-season record holders competed over 20 years ago, nearly every volume-based offensive record is now within reach. For instance, the franchise record for total points in a single season belongs to Jackie Stiles. She scored 478 points during her Rookie of the Year campaign in 2001, per ESPN. At her current scoring average of 15.1 points per game, Carla Leite is on track to surpass that mark before the final week of the WNBA regular season.

Apart from that, the single-season blocks record has also been redefined. Forward Emily Engstler entered July averaging 2.0 blocks per game. Against the Mystics, she extended her season total to 39, breaking the previous record of 37 set by Fire legend Sylvia Crawley in 2002.

By the end of the season, the Portland Fire’s franchise record book could be entirely rewritten. Perhaps it’s fair to say the team’s first season back in the WNBA is rapidly becoming one of the most historic in franchise history.