PORTLAND, Ore. — The new owners of the Portland Trail Blazers are set to speak Thursday, after the NBA Board of Governors approved the sale of the team earlier this week.
On Monday, the governors board approved the sale of the Blazers to an investor group led by Tom Dundon.
The Rip City Rising ownership group spoke at the Moda Center on Thursday. You can watch the press conference below:
In a press conference, Dundon said their goal is to build a team that can compete at the highest level, every single year.
“We will continue to try to make the experience here great, while expecting to win, and hopefully you’ll see that over time,” said Dundon.
Dundon will serve as the Blazers’ main governor. Marc Zahr, Stan Middleman, Andrew Cherng, and Sheel Tyle are listed as alternative governors.
“I couldn’t have done this without a couple of my partners that are here, and I’m really thankful to them,” said Dundon. “As a group we should be pretty powerful.”
The panel didn’t devote much time to questions about renovations at the Moda Center. When pressed about whether the Blazers would stay in Rip City, Tyle – who calls Portland home – says he wants to keep the team here.
“Tom would not have asked me to join this group had that been on the table,” said Tyle. “We’re optimistic people, we met with the mayor today, we know the state has done some amazing work on this also – we’re full speed ahead.”
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KATU reached out to Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s office for more on that conversation, a spokesperson sent the following response:
The Mayor had a positive conversation today with Tom Dundon, further building momentum.
Mayor Wilson has met with Tom Dundon and members of his ownership group several times and will continue to do so as they transition into their new role with the Trail Blazers. The city remains in active, ongoing discussions with the Trail Blazers organization, the State of Oregon, and regional partners.
According to The Athletic, the sale will be a two-part deal with a price tag of $4.25 billion. The NBA said the transaction is expected to close this week.