SUN VALLEY, ID – JULY 13: Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike, attends the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 13, 2018 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every July, some of the world’s most wealthy and powerful businesspeople from the media, finance, technology and political spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive weeklong conference. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
On Thursday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped bombshell news saying Phil Knight, joined by Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky, has made a $2 billion-plus written offer to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers. It seems too good to be true, right?
After all, Knight is an Oregon native, the king of Nike and spends much of the year just two hours south of Portland in Eugene attending University of Oregon athletic events.
However, it doesn’t appear Portland’s front office is interested in selling.
The Trail Blazers have released the following statement: “An offer was made by Phil Knight. The team remains not for sale.”
That’s a quick turnaround for what’s been reported as extensive work done by Knight himself.
Per John Canzano, trusted sports reporter out of the Pacific Northwest, Knight has already met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and former Blazers’ president Larry Miller.
Knight is the best possible owner. Period. Full stop. He has deep ties to the state of Oregon, he’s a perennial winner, and he lives by a “make no small plans” mantra. I’m told by a source that the 84-year old Knight met multiple times with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in recent weeks and consulted with former Blazers’ president Larry Miller about the franchise. There may have been a face-to-face conversation with trustee Jody Allen, too.
Perhaps this is a negotiating tactic by the Trail Blazers, who may want more than $2 billion.
Regardless, if Phil Knight wants the Trail Blazers he shouldn’t have many obstacles to get them. It makes too much sense.
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