An Oregon trail blazer wants to buy the Portland Trail Blazers.
Partnering with Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky, Nike founder Phil Knight has made a bid of over $2 billion to buy the NBA team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
For now, the Blazers say they’re not for sale, according to ESPN, though that isn’t expected to deter Knight and Smolinisky.
The team’s owner, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, died in 2018 at the age of 65 after non-Hodgkins lymphoma caused death by septic shock.
A trust controlled by his sister, Jody Allen, has operated the organization, as well as the Seattle Seahawks, since that time.
Knight’s inclusion in the ownership group would be a major contributing factor in keeping the franchise in Portland, given his roots in the region.
Last week, longtime Portland-area reporter John Canzano cited Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs and Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife Mackenzie Scott as potential bidders for the Blazers. Jobs is involved in a number of businesses, including ownership of the media outlet The Atlantic, and Scott has made headlines for her enormous philanthropic endeavors.
This past season, with star guard Damian Lillard missing 53 games due to injuries, Portland finished 27-55, the third-worst record in the Western Conference.