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Zahr’s Blue Owl is one of the private equity firms allowed to invest in NBA teams. It has stakes in the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves, said Lauren Anderson, director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business. Blue Owl could invest in the Blazers, but Zahr is participating in the deal as an individual investor, according to multiple sources, including one with direct knowledge of the deal. If Dundon’s group wants to bring in private equity, it won’t have trouble finding it, said multiple sports business experts.
Indiana Pacers basketball assistant Bryce Taylor has been named an assistant coach for EWE Baskets Oldenburg in Germany, he tells Fieldhouse Files. That's part of the Bundesliga, the same league he once played in. Taylor, 35, played at the University of Oregon from 2004-08, then spent 13 years playing overseas — in Germany and Italy. He retired from playing last year. Then, he started with the Pacers before the 2021-22 season.
Nevertheless, several groups interested in prying away the Blazers in a sale have made their interest known to the Paul Allen Trust and league office, sources said. Perhaps, though, no prospective group has the cache and star power in the Pacific Northwest as a Phil Knight-led bid. Knight's deep ties to the region -- with Nike and his support of his alma mater, the University of Oregon -- reflect the prospective ownership group's desire to keep the team in Portland for the long term, sources said.
The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team will have at least two starters back next season. Forward Quincy Guerrier announced he is withdrawing from the NBA draft and will return to the Ducks for the 2022-23 season. “After getting the opportunity to go through the NBA draft process, I have decided to return to the University of Oregon,” Guerrier wrote via Twitter on Friday. “It was an incredible learning experience. I am excited to work with my teammates and help lead us to a Championship - Go Ducks!”
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The Portland Trail Blazers announced today the addition of Neil Everett to the broadcast team starting in the 2021-22 season. Everett will be Television Studio Host for pre, half and post-game coverage for most Trail Blazers road games. Everett, a Portland native, has strong Pacific Northwest ties. After high school in Spokane, he attended Willamette University in Salem before transferring to the University of Oregon where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. Everett joined ESPN in July 2000 as an anchor for ESPNEWS and is a household name on SportsCenter, where he will continue to anchor the late-night edition from Los Angeles.
Kings sign Louis King to a two-way contract
The Sacramento Kings have signed forward Louis King to a two-way contract, according to Kings General Manager Monte McNair. During the NBA G League single site in Orlando, Fla., King played for the Westchester Knicks and accrued averages of 13.7 points (.521 FG%, .456 3pt%, .810 FT%), 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 32.2 minutes per game in 15 appearances while ranking sixth in overall three-point field goal percentage. Undrafted out of the University of Oregon, King appeared in 10 games with the Detroit Pistons during the 2019-20 season.
Will the Knicks be able to add one of the top assistants in college basketball to Tom Thibodeau’s staff? Entering the weekend, some in the Knick organization were optimistic that Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne would choose to make the jump to the NBA, per sources. Payne joined John Calipari’s coaching staff at Kentucky prior to the 2010-11 season and was promoted to associate coach in 2014. Prior to working at Kentucky, Payne served as an assistant coach at the University of Oregon. He also played four NBA seasons with the 76ers from 1989-1993. He’s considered one of the top assistant coaches in the NCAA and is certainly one of the highest-paid assistants in the sport.
“Kobe was a huge advocate for the WNBA, and for women and girls in sports. Girls drop out of sports at an alarming rate by the age of 13,” said Engelbert, noting that Gianna and her teammates were all 13. “Kobe also championed those who hoped to be a part of the league in the future by working with college teams like the University of Connecticut and University of Oregon. His impact was much broader than I certainly thought,” she added.
Elijah Brown, who played last season at the University of Oregon and was the Drive's third-round pick in this year's NBA G League draft, is the son of Mike Brown, the former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers and the NBA coach of the year in 2009. So, that meant Brown grew up working out with Kobe and chasing rebounds for LeBron and having the kind of childhood every basketball-playing kid would envy. "Yeah, I've gotten to experience some really cool stuff growing up," he said.
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His father was a star athlete who played football and basketball at the University of Oregon, and his older brothers were players of note, as well. Then Danny came along and another Ainge became a hated rival, especially when he and North Eugene High won two straight state basketball titles and he was All-Oregon in football, basketball and baseball. “I think that at a young age I got used to all that,” Ainge said. “I remember having death threats when I was playing quarterback for our high school football team. “One time I was dating a girl who was a cheerleader for one of the schools in our city that we played, and she called me to warn me that there was a $1,500 bounty on taking me out of the game.
The Golden State Warriors acquired the draft rights to University of Oregon forward Jordan Bell, the 38th overall selection in the second round of tonight’s 2017 NBA Draft, from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced.
Brandon Austin is working out with the Philadelphia 76ers this week, per NBA sources, trying to revive a basketball career in limbo after sexual assault allegations at two colleges -- Providence College and the University of Oregon.
Luke Ridnour retiring
Ridnour ended up sitting out the 2015-16 NBA season and ultimately announced his plans to retire on Tuesday, June 21, while discussing the third annual Luke Ridnour Basketball Camp he will host July 27-29 at Blaine High School. “I’m retired. I’m not going to go back. I think I knew it last summer, I just didn’t say it,” said Ridnour, who helped lead Blaine to 1999 and 2000 Class 2A high school state titles before playing collegiately at the University of Oregon.
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