Megan Gustafson's 'Grateful' Comment Highlights Why Fire Are Exceeding Expectations

An emotional comment that Portland Fire Megan Gustafson shared after a recent win against the Indiana Fever speaks to why this expansion franchise has been the biggest surprise of the 2026 WNBA season.

Portland dominated Indiana in their May 30 showdown. While the final score was 100-84, those who watched the game know that it really wasn't even that close, as the Fire had the game under control essentially just a few minutes into the game.

This win gave the Fire a 6-4 record, even though their roster and the fact that this is their first season convinced much of the women's basketball community that they'd be one of the league's worst teams before the year began.

Portland Fire center Megan Gustafson (17) | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

But that has been anything but true. Instead, head coach Alex Sarama (who is the youngest head coach in WNAB history) has crafted Portland into a well-oiled machine that plays for each other, has great cohesion on the court, and performs better than the sum of its parts.

Plus, the team appears to have a ton of fun playing together.

Megan Gustafson's Emotional Portland Fire Praise Reveals Why Team Works

Gustafson was critical in the Fire's performance against the Fever, as she scored a game-high 22 points, which is the most she has scored in a game since 2024.

But it's what Gustafson said after the game that says the most. When asked about how this season has started so strong for Portland during her postgame press conference, she said, "I mean, we're a bunch of overlooked players. And I think we all have a chip on our shoulders. I've never really been respected as a basketball player until I've gotten here. So I'm really thankful," per an X post from Brenna Greene.

At this point, Gustafson began getting clearly emotional. Emily Engstler, her Fire teammate who was sitting next to her, said, "I respect you," and consoled her by grabbing her shoulder. Gustafson, still choked up, then added, "I'm thankful for this team, this organization. They really believe in me."

She then looked to Engstler and said, "Why am I crying?" She took a moment to collect herself and then said, "Yeah. Just belief in each other. And [her Portland teammates] really try to play to each of their strengths. The coaches see everybody's strength, and they see what we can each improve on every single day in practices. So, yeah. Just grateful."

Megan Gustafson gets emotional postgame talking about her place in Portland:

"We're a bunch of overlooked players... I've never really been respected as a basketball player until I've gotten here... I'm thankful for this team, this organization. They believe in me." pic.twitter.com/OEuLAkenb5
— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) May 31, 2026

Everything Gustafson said about this roster is apparent when watching them play, but it was still beautiful to hear her put these feelings into words. And the fact that Portland is seemingly doing everything right as a franchise and in the locker room proves that a team's success depends more on the talent they have on paper.

There's still a lot of basketball to be played this year. But if Portland can stick to the identity they've formed and which Gustafson articulated, one can't see why they couldn't continue this success.

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