The Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers are not for sale and no discussions are currently happening to sell either professional sports franchise. That’s the word from Jody Allen, chair of both teams and trustee of her brother Paul G. Allen’s trust. Allen issued a statement Tuesday saying that her long-term focus is on “building championship teams” — but both will eventually be sold. Paul Allen, the late Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist who died in October 2018, bought the NBA’s Trail Blazers for $70 million in 1988, and he kept the Seahawks from moving to California in 1997 when he… Read More
A signature piece in late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s vast collection of interests and properties could be headed for sale as a new report names potential buyers and a price tag for the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. ESPN reported Thursday that Nike founder Phil Knight and Alan Smolinisky, an entrepreneur and a partial owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, have submitted a bid to purchase the Trail Blazers for more than $2 billion. Knight’s deep ties to the region “reflect the prospective ownership group’s desire to keep the team in Portland for the long-term,” ESPN reported, citing anonymous… Read More
Patti Hammond — better known around these parts as “Mama Blue” — knows how much Paul Allen meant to the Seattle Seahawks. A diehard fan since the team entered the NFL in 1976, Hammond has been a regular at home games for 43 years. She was at her front row seat again on Thursday before Seattle’s bout against Los Angeles, donning her feathers, necklaces, and blue-and-green glasses. But this time Mama Blue brought along a special item, holding it up with two hands so everyone could see: a photo of her and the late Allen, celebrating together at the Experience Museum… Read More
Paul Allen has been credited with keeping the Seattle Seahawks from leaving the city, and now the late owner and Microsoft co-founder will be honored with a place in the team’s “Ring of Honor.” The Seahawks announced Monday that Allen, who died last year at the age of 65, will become the 12th member of the distinguished group during a ceremony before Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. “The Seahawks and the 12s are part of what makes Seattle such an exciting city and fantastic community, and the community and the fans were at the forefront of Paul’s mind… Read More
Russell Wilson took time away from counting his newfound riches on Wednesday to thank the Seattle Seahawks for making him the highest paid player in the NFL and to reiterate his commitment to bringing championships to the city where he plans to end his career. Along the way, the star quarterback and the team’s general manager, John Schneider, invoked the name of Seahawks owner Jody Allen and her late brother, Paul Allen. Seahawks fans waited into the wee hours of Monday night for a deal to happen before a deadline, imposed by Wilson, passed. He and the team ultimately agreed… Read More