Get to Know Portland Fire G Carla Leite
Carla Leite, a 5'9"guard from France's Tony Parker Academy, was picked by the Portland Fire in today's WNBA expansion draft.
What’s in a name?
Carla Leite, who grew up in the suburbs of Paris, furthered her basketball dreams at the Tony Parker Academy. Basketball fans don’t have to think hard to remember that name. Parker was a four-time NBA champion, the 2007 NBA Finals MVP, and the cover athlete for NBA Live 09.
After today’s WNBA expansion draft - which saw Leite selected in the first round by the Portland Fire - fans in the Rose City hope this French point guard can evoke memories of her school’s namesake, arguably France’s all-time greatest player.
This piece is one of eleven profile pieces spotlighting the career journeys of Portland’s expansion draft selections - the first professional women’s basketball players to represent the Rose City since 2002 - and the first members of Portland’s new WNBA team.
Leite went pro at 18, signing with Tarbes in France’s Ligue Féminine de Basketball, the country’s top women’s basketball league. During her 2022 debut season she averaged 11.8 points per game, and was named the league’s best young player. In 2024, she transferred to another French club Villeneuve d’Ascq, leading the team to a 2024-25 EuroCup, and earning Finals MVP along the way.
At season’s end, she was drafted ninth overall by Dallas in the 2024 WNBA Draft, but chose to stay in Europe. Eight months later, Golden State picked the French point guard in their expansion draft, and she agreed to contract terms. Last season, Leite started 6 games in 37 appearances, averaging 17.2 minutes. She tallied 7.2 points per game and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 38.7% from the field and 17.3% from three point range.
Leite and her new Portland Fire teammates will return to the court later this Spring. The Fire’s regular season opener is at home May 9th against the Chicago Sky.
—
Matt Bagley is a professional sportswriter and broadcaster with a passion for women’s sports. Outside of work, he cherishes quality time with his birth family, his chosen family, and one very pesky house panther.
PortlandSupporter.com is 100% subscription-free & advertisement-free. Instead, we conclude every article with a brief spotlight on our favorite local charities.
SheFlies is an initiative under the Sport Oregon Foundation working to support, engage, and celebrate girls and women in sport across Oregon. Their grants help all who identify as girls and women have an opportunity to use sports to take flight into the many positive benefits of sports participation. To learn more about donating, browse this link.