Phil Knight won't buy the Portland Trail Blazers; What does that mean for Oregon football?
In the grand scheme, no person is arguably more important in Oregon Ducks athletics than Phil Knight. As a former Duck and the co-founder of Nike, Knight has been one of the biggest donors and benefactors of Oregon sports and general University of Oregon improvements.
Knight's investment in the Ducks, particularly the football program, has seen Oregon grow into one of the most significant powers in the nation, consistently on the brink of winning a national championship.
For a brief period on Tuesday, there was hope amongst Oregon sports fans that Knight could use his influence to get another local team on that same precipice.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the estate of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was selling the Portland Trail Blazers at long last. The first name that came to mind for many as the next owner was Knight, who attempted to purchase the team for over $2 billion in 2022.
Allen's estate refused to sell, but it has since come around and will now look to hand the keys over to a new ownership group. So, could this be the time that Uncle Phil steps in?
Unfortunately for Blazers fans, it doesn't appear so.
While Knight certainly has the money to make the purchase—Paul Allen bought the Blazers for $70 million in 1988; Forbes currently values the team at $3.5 billion—it's the interest that may no longer exist.
'Five years ago, when I was a younger man, I had a great interest in being a part of the Portland Trail Blazers franchise,' Knight said in a statement. 'However, at my current age, I can confirm that I no longer have interest.'
This may not be the worst thing for Duck fans. While it would be fun to see Knight take over in Portland and try to bring a once-great NBA franchise back to prominence, the fact that Uncle Phil declined bodes well for his investment in Oregon. Rather than spending billions of dollars and a large portion of his attention on the state's major professional sports team, Knight can remain invested with his time and money on the Ducks and bringing a championship to Eugene.
In the world of name, image, and likeness, that's important. While the Ducks have a couple of NIL funds—Division Street and Ducks Rising—a large portion of the funding for getting players on the roster, be it from the high school ranks or in the transfer portal, comes with the help of Knight and his influence at Nike.
In today's day and age of college football, having money to spend is the name of the game when building a championship contender. The Ducks currently have that, in large part to Knight. Would that be the case if Uncle Phil invested in the Blazers? Who's to say?
As a Blazers fan, it's unfortunate to see Knight not take over the 1977 NBA Champions. As an Oregon fan, seeing him still fully aboard on bringing the first title to Eugene is encouraging.
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