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Damian Lillard liked a tweet asking Phil Knight to buy Trail Blazers

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated14 Jul 2023

Damian Lillard liked a tweet asking Phil Knight to buy Portland Trail Blazers trade

On Thursday, Damian Lillard liked a tweet from a Twitter user asking Phil Knight to buy the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard has been at the center of attention the last couple of weeks since asking for a trade out of Portland. The seven-time All-Star was among the five accounts to like Daniel Redelk’s following tweet:

“@trailblazers please sell to Phil Knight he’ll talk @Dame_Lillard into staying and doesn’t care about goin in the luxury tax. Please sell to him. @Seahawks are already there please don’t let #Portland suffer we’d like to see @Dame_Lillard win a title here in #PDX.”

Referring to a few NBA betting sites, the Trail Blazers hold 27th-ranked odds to win next season’s championship in 2024. Some sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets.


Trail Blazers owner Jody Allen has no plans to sell the team. Allen, 64, is the sister of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who passed away on Oct. 15, 2018. In addition to resuming control of the Trail Blazers when Allen passed, she became the owner of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, the Octopus super-yacht, and is a minority owner of MLS’ Seattle Sounders FC.

In 1988, Paul Allen purchased the Portland Trail Blazers from California real estate developer Larry Weinberg for $70 million. He helped fund the team’s Moda Center arena (previously known as the Rose Garden).

Additionally, Phil Knight is the co-founder of Nike. Knight is the 24th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $47.7 billion, according to Forbes. Jody Allen will probably never offer to sell the Trail Blazers to the 85-year-old billionaire.

Damian Lillard liked a tweet asking Phil Knight to buy the Portland Trail Blazers, wants team owner Jody Allen to sell the club

Under Paul Allen’s ownership, the Trail Blazers made 19 playoff appearances, including the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. According to Forbes, the team was valued at $2.09 billion in 2021.

Per NBC Sports, the Trail Blazers are now worth an estimated $2.29 billion in 2023 as the 17th most-valuable NBA team. Jody Allen will likely never sell by giving in to a player’s demands, even for Damian Lillard. Wealthy individuals never forgo investment opportunities.


On July 1, Lillard asked Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin for a trade out of Portland. Since then, the seven-time All-NBA member has expressed his desire to play for the Miami Heat on multiple occasions. However, Portland is reportedly seeking four first-round draft picks and two quality players for the 11-year veteran in return.

In 58 starts with the Trail Blazers in the 2022-23 season, Lillard averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game, along with 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 36.3 minutes per game. The seven-time All-NBA member shot a career-high-tying 46.3% from the field and 37.1% from 3-point range.

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