Phil knight offers to buy blazers

burial ground blood is a great name for OIL
burial ground bones is a great name for COAL
burial ground breath is a great name for METHANE ( Hey! Plants get buried too!)

 

With an 8% annual return, that would be about 1.2 Billion

https://www.calculator.net/investme...nat1=annually&printit=0&x=Calculate#calresult

STOMP

 

I asked AI these questions and these are the answers it gave:

You know about the Portland Trailblazers right? You know that Paul Allen Died and left the team to Jody correct?

I’m familiar with the Portland Trail Blazers. Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who bought the team in 1988 for $70 million, passed away in October 2018 from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was a big deal in the NBA world, not just for owning the Blazers but for his influence on the league’s growth, especially internationally and with tech advancements. After his death, his sister Jody Allen stepped in as the executor and trustee of his estate, which includes the Trail Blazers, the Seattle Seahawks, and a minority stake in the Seattle Sounders FC.

Jody inherited control of the team, but she’s not the outright owner—the team is technically owned by Paul’s estate, with Jody managing it as trustee. Paul’s will reportedly mandates that his assets, including the sports teams, must eventually be sold, with the proceeds going to charitable causes he cared about, like brain research. However, as of my last update, Jody hasn’t sold the Blazers yet, despite speculation and offers, like the $2 billion bid from Nike founder Phil Knight and Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky in 2022. She’s stated there’s no rush to sell, saying estates like Paul’s can take 10 to 20 years to wind down, and she’s focused on running the team in the meantime. Some fans and insiders have criticized her management, calling her disengaged or alleging she’s more focused on the Seahawks, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said she’s running the team in a “first-class manner.”

The Blazers are still in Portland, and their lease at the Moda Center runs through 2030, so they’re not likely to move anytime soon. That’s the situation as I know it.

If she were to sell the Trailblazers tomorrow, who in the US would be viable candidates that would keep them in Portland?

If Jody Allen were to sell the Portland Trail Blazers tomorrow, March 30, 2025, there are a few viable candidates in the U.S. who could potentially buy the team and have the incentive to keep it in Portland. The Blazers are a small-market NBA franchise, but they have a loyal fan base, a functional arena in the Moda Center, and a lease that runs through 2030, which makes relocation less likely in the short term. The team’s valuation, based on recent data, is likely around $2-3 billion, considering past offers and the NBA’s new $76 billion TV deal over 11 years, which boosts franchise values. Buyers would need deep pockets, a connection to the Pacific Northwest, or a strategic interest in keeping the team in Portland. Here’s a rundown of potential candidates:

Phil Knight, the Nike co-founder, is a top contender. He’s already made a $2 billion-plus offer in 2022 alongside Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky, showing serious interest. Knight, an Oregon native, has a history of investing in the region—his $400 million donation to African American communities in Portland is a recent example. Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton, near Portland, gives him a vested interest in keeping the team local, and he’s reportedly laid out a vision for a new arena district to modernize the Rose Quarter. At 87 years old, Knight has the wealth (estimated net worth over $40 billion) and legacy motivation to ensure the Blazers stay in Portland, possibly as a capstone to his sports empire.

Another possibility is Timothy Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear, also based in Portland. Boyle is one of Oregon’s billionaires, with a net worth around $2 billion, which is on the lower end for an NBA team purchase. However, he could team up with other investors. Columbia Sportswear’s deep ties to the city and Boyle’s local prominence—he’s been a visible figure in Portland’s business scene—suggest he’d likely keep the team in place. His company has sponsored local sports initiatives, and owning the Blazers could be a way to cement his legacy in the region.

Travis Boersma, co-founder of Dutch Bros Coffee, is another Oregon-based billionaire, with a net worth estimated at $3.5 billion. Dutch Bros, headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, has a strong Pacific Northwest identity, and Boersma’s fortune comes from the coffee chain’s rapid expansion. He’s younger, in his 50s, and has shown interest in community investment, like supporting local charities. While he hasn’t been linked to sports ownership before, his wealth and regional ties make him a candidate who’d likely keep the Blazers in Portland to maintain his brand’s local goodwill.

Kirk Brown, a Vancouver, Washington-based tech founder, is a less obvious but intriguing option. Brown co-founded DiscoverOrg (now ZoomInfo), which went public in 2020, and he’s reportedly a billionaire. He’s already been mentioned as a potential buyer for a WNBA team in Portland, indicating interest in the city’s sports market. His proximity to Portland—just across the Columbia River—and his tech background could make him a modern NBA owner type, likely to keep the team in the region to build on its existing fan base.

LeBron James, though a long shot, has expressed interest in owning an NBA team after retiring. He’s said to have a “lifetime” billion-dollar deal with Nike, which is based in Beaverton, and could align with Knight or other investors. James, still playing at 40, has a net worth over $1 billion and could be part of an ownership group. His son Bronny is in the NBA, and there’s speculation LeBron might want to play with him before retiring—Portland could draft Bronny in the future, making the Blazers a sentimental fit. James has the clout to keep the team in Portland, especially with Nike’s influence, though his focus might be on a bigger market like Las Vegas or Seattle.

Bert Kolde, the current Vice Chairman of the Trail Blazers and a senior director at Vulcan, Paul Allen’s company, is another name to consider. Kolde has been involved with the franchise since Allen bought it in 1988 and was reportedly set to lead an auction effort for the team. As a longtime Portland figure and Paul Allen’s college roommate, Kolde has a personal stake in the team’s history. His net worth isn’t public, but he could assemble a group of investors. Given his deep ties to the franchise, he’d almost certainly keep it in Portland, though his age (in his 70s) and lack of sole financial power might limit his ability to buy outright.

Lastly, Terry Porter, a former Blazers player, has a history of interest—he attempted to buy the team in 2006 with a group of investors when Paul Allen briefly put it on the market. Porter, who coached at the University of Portland until 2021, knows the city’s basketball culture intimately. His net worth is far lower, likely in the millions, so he’d need significant backing, but his emotional connection to the Blazers and Portland makes him a candidate to keep the team local if he can rally investors.

The NBA, under Adam Silver, has no interest in relocating the Blazers—Portland’s market is strong, and the league learned from the Seattle Supersonics debacle under David Stern. The Moda Center, while aging, is still functional with a capacity of nearly 20,000, and the city’s lease negotiations are ongoing but productive. Any buyer would likely demand a settled lease and a revitalized Rose Quarter, but the consensus is that the Blazers aren’t moving. The challenge for these candidates is the price tag—small-market teams are less attractive to corporate buyers focused on profit, so a buyer with regional ties or a personal passion for the team, like Knight or Boyle, is more likely to step up and keep the Blazers in Portland.

 

Honestly I wish Paul had just left the team to Jody. This weird dynamic where she can make $100's of millions as the manager but gets nothing on the proceeds for selling isn't good.

 

He left her about 28 billion dollars and she gets around 190 million a year as interim overseer ..I wouldn't mind seeing Mark Cuban buy the team but I'll bet Bert Kolde ends up buying it.

 

If you're Jody, what else can you do with more money that you can't do with what you already have. She's set for life and then some.

I am suspicious her holding on is due to money alone. Maybe she hates inefficiency and she doesn't wanna be taken advantage of. So it's more pride than money. Maybe offers to this point have all been lowballs.

 

So you didn't read the AI's response?

 

She’s not a bad owner as I thought she would have been. I know she technically doesn’t own the blazers but fuck it it’s close enough. I think she genuinely enjoys running these sports teams. It’s been nearly 10 years and found a way around the nbas rule for teams cannot be run by trustees for long

 

Jody lets uncle Bert run things, and that is a huge problem.

 

I fear they'll never sell to Phil Knight because this thing would get turned around and be a gem of the league in no time flat. And it would show how shitty Bert has been.

I just feel like when they sell it they're going to sell to somebody who's going to fuck us fans over.

 

To increase the value of the team. They are obligated to get max value for the trust when they sell.

I believe Jody also makes more per year if the value of the team is higher.

 

I didn't say they were trying to be assholes. I said they might avoid selling to somebody who they think would make them look bad.

And yes, as one example, a motivated buyer who wanted to move the team may well feel like they need to spend 3 to 4 billion dollars in order to get a team in their preferred city in the next decade.

They also aren't spending a bunch of extra money to make the team good. They are spending money in order to make more money.

When you have to rephrase what I say in order to make your argument with my position you might think about why you have to do that...