Nike co-founder Phil Knight is out.
But plenty of other billionaires — or groups capable of assembling a 10-figure war chest — could purchase the Portland Trail Blazers, which Paul Allen’s estate put on the market two weeks ago.
No information regarding interested parties has leaked, but The Oregonian/OregonLive has come up with a list of potential suitors with deep pockets who could get a deal done. Or, start a group of investors capable of giving the Blazers their first new owner since 1988, when Paul Allen bought the team for $70 million.
The price tag this time could be between $3 billion and $4 billion. Maybe more.
CNBC valued the franchise at $3.65 billion, 22nd in the NBA
.
The Boston Celtics sold this year for $6.1 billion. The Phoenix Suns went for $4 billion in 2022. The Charlotte Hornets sold for $3 billion in 2023.
The complex search for a buyer and negotiations
could last well into next season or beyond
.
Here is a look at 14 names to watch listed in no particular order:
• • •
Bhathal Family
Who:
Raj Bhathal is the founder, owner, and CEO of Raj Manufacturing, an American swimwear company. He is part of a consortium that in 2013 purchased a stake in the Sacramento Kings for $348 million when the franchise was valued at $535 million.
According to a report from CNBC
, the Kings are now valued at $4.45 billion.
Left photo: Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage introducing the Portland Thorns’ new ownership group, RAJ Sports, on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Right photo: WNBA Commissioner Catherine Engelbert (right) poses for a photo with the siblings at a press conference awarding Portland the league’s 15th franchise on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
His children, Lisa Bhathal Merage and brother Alex Bhathal, run Raj Capital, which in 2024 purchsed the Portland Thorns and started the yet-to-be-named Portland WNBA franchise, which begins play in 2026.
Net worth:
Unknown.
Likelihood:
The Bhathals already have their feet in three professional sports leagues, including the NBA. Raj Bhathal could sell his stake in the Kings and put together a group to go after the Blazers, giving his family ownership of three of the four major professional teams in Oregon.
• • •
Stephen Pagliuca
Who:
Pagliuca was the managing general partner of
Boston Basketball Partners
, the group that owned the Boston Celtics before they were sold in March. He serves on the NBA’s Board of Governors and Competition Committee. He has a stake in the Atalanta BC, a professional soccer team in Italy.
Steven Pagliuca Atalanta BC Majority shareholder looks on prior to the UEFA Super Cup 2024 match between Real Madrid and Atalanta BC at National Stadium on August 14, 2024 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Net worth:
$450 million.
Likelihood:
Pagliuca made a bid to buy the Celtics but fell short. Owning the Celtics might have been his dream, but only 30 NBA franchises exist, and the Blazers are the only one currently on the market.
• • •
Dan Friedkin
Who:
He leads a private consortium out of Texas called the Friedkin Group.
Net worth:
$7.8 billion.
CEO of The Friedkin Group, Dan Freidkin, tees off on the second hole during day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 at Carnoustie Golf Links on October 04, 2024 in Carnoustie, Scotland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Likelihood:
Seems plausible. The Friedkin Group was reportedly a
finalist in the bidding to purchase the Celtics, who sold to a group led by William Chisolm for $6.1 billion in March. The Friedkin Group owns the Italian soccer club AS Roma and the Everton Football Club in the Premier League.
• • •
Laurene Powell-Jobs
Who:
The businesswoman is the wife of the late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple.
Net worth:
$14.4 billion.
Emerson Collective founder Laurene Powell-Jobs walks onto stage on during the APEC CEO Summit at Moscone West on November 16, 2023 in San Francisco, California. The APEC summit is being held in San Francisco and runs through November 17. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Likelihood:
Powell-Jobs owns 20% of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, and Capital One Arena, where both teams play. If she desires owning an NBA team outright, this is her chance. However, she purchased her stake in MSE in 2017, and passed on purchasing the Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns, or Minnesota Timberwolves.
Also,
she reportedly has been seeking to sell a portion of her stake in MSE
. So, maybe owning sports franchises isn’t necessarily her thing.
• • •
Stan Middleman
Who:
Founder, president and CEO of Freedom Mortgage.
Net worth:
Unknown.
Likelihood:
Middleman owns a 16.25% stake in the Philadelphia Phillies and
reportedly put a group together to make a run at the Celtics
. If his heart is truly in owning an NBA team, shifting that group’s focus to the Blazers would make sense.
• • •
Robert Hale
Who:
Founder and CEO of wholesale telecommunications provider Granite Telecommunications.
Net worth:
$5.8 billion.
Likelihood:
Hale had been a limited partner in the Celtics since 2012 and reportedly took strong interest in purchasing the franchise. He will remain on the Celtics board following the recent sale of the team.
• • •
Jody Allen and Bert Kolde
Who:
Allen is Paul Allen’s sister and Blazers chair. Kolde was one of his closest friends and is the vice chair.
Trail Blazers Interim General Manager Joe Cronin (left) sits next to Chair Jody Allen, along with Executive Chair Bert Kolde (far right), as Portland closes the 2021-22 season against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center on Sunday, April 10, 2022.
Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
Net worth:
Unknown.
Likelihood:
Jody Allen has attended more games in recent years than a non-owner and trustee should, given that she lives in the Seattle area and the Blazers haven’t had a winning season since 2020-21. It’s widely known that Kolde enjoys being involved with the franchise. The duo could form a group of investors, secure a strong price for her brother’s estate and come away as the owners of a franchise they appreciate.
• • •
Jeff Bezos
Who:
Founder of Amazon.
Net worth:
$219 billion.
FILE – Jeff Bezos speaks at the Amazon re:MARS convention in Las Vegas, June 6, 2019. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
AP
Likelihood:
Bezos’ name has popped up from time to time in connection with other sports franchises, including the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bears, which are currently not for sale. He was also listed as a potential buyer for the Washington Commanders before they were sold in 2023, and his name has been thrown around in connection with the Seattle Seahawks, also owned by Allen’s estate.
Bezos founded Amazon in Seattle, so he could be waiting for the NBA to expand to the Emerald City.
Bezos purchasing the Blazers would likely set off alarms that he could move the team to Seattle.
• • •
MacKenzie Scott
Who:
The renowned philanthropist was married to Bezos, the founder of Amazon.
Net worth:
Estimated to be $28.8 billion.
hen-MacKenzie Bezos arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. The megadonor and novelist announced almost $2 billion in donations to 343 organizations in a short blog post Monday, Nov, 14, 2022, emphasizing her interest in supporting people from underserved communities. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Likelihood:
This is likely an example of selecting someone with name recognition and a lot of money to add to a speculative list. But, someone dedicated to doing good as much Scott, could see buying the Blazers as a way to make a charitable donation to Allen’s estate while also holding an asset that would elevate her profile.
• • •
Larry Ellison
Who:
Ellison, 80, co-founder of Oracle,
Net worth:
$202 billion.
Likelihood:
Ellison made a run at the Golden State Warriors when they were sold in 2010 for a then-record $450 million, and also reportedly had interest in the New Orleans Pelicans (sold in 2010) and Memphis Grizzlies (2012). NBC Sports reported years ago that Ellison was interested in purchasing the Blazers. Now is the time. The hangup could be that he is 80. But that’s younger than Phil Knight, now 87, was in 2022 when he made an offer to buy the Blazers.
• • •
Alan Smolinisky
Who:
Speaking of Knight’s offer, it involved Smolinisky, a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Net worth:
$1.2 billion
.
Likelihood:
Smolinisky and Knight were rebuffed by Jody Allen with extreme prejudice. Not only did she turn down their initial offer, but she refused to negotiate at all, repeatedly stating that the team was not for sale. Now that the estate is ready to sell, maybe Smolinisky, minus Knight, can pull together a new group to get a deal done.
• • •
Jensen Huang
Who:
The Oregon State graduate co-founded Nvidia, a multinational corporation and technology company and is its CEO and president.
Net worth:
$118 billion.
Likelihood:
Next to zero. Huang hasn’t shown interest in sports beyond once being a competitive table tennis player. He’s done nothing financially to help OSU’s sports programs, even though he could do for the Beavers what Nike co-founder Phil Knight did for the Oregon Ducks and then some.
• • •
Travis Boersma
Who:
Founder and CEO of Dutch Bros, a national coffee chain.
Net worth:
$4.2 billion.
Likelihood:
Boersma is a billionaire from Grants Pass, Oregon, who conceivably could put together a group to go after the Blazers. The speculation ends there. Oregon’s second-richest man, behind Knight, hasn’t shown interest in investing in sports teams, though he is involved in owning thoroughbred horses. Plus, Dutch Bros has moved much of its operations to Tempe, Arizona.
• • •
Tim Boyle
Who:
Columbia Sportswear president and CEO
Net worth:
$1.9 billion.
Likelihood:
Another Oregon-based billionaire who could get out in front of creating a group. Maybe he joins forces with Boersma? He already has a stake in the Thorns.
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Who could become the next Trail Blazers owner? Here are 14 possibilities
Who could become the next Trail Blazers owner? Here are 14 possibilities
Who could become the next Trail Blazers owner? Here are 14 possibilities