Rumors

What if Carmelo Anthony had never suffered a second stress fracture in his left foot in November of 2019, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to waive him? Without that injury, which ended his NBA career, would Anthony have ever been given a chance to extend his? At the time, Anthony had been out of the league for more than a year after being unceremoniously dropped by the Houston Rockets just 10 games into the 2017-18 season. The Blazers filled Pau Gasol's roster spot with Anthony, who went from unemployed to averaging 15.4 points for Portland that season. "So my injury gave him the opportunity to play again, prove himself," Gasol said. Anthony added 2,738 points to his career total in his final flourish -- two years with Portland and a final season in L.A., teaming up with James after all those years -- a coda that allowed Anthony to crack the top 10 on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

ESPN

Asked directly about the upcoming duel with Luka Doncic, Deni Avdija didn’t flinch: “I think he is a very good player, very talented. Slovenia depends on him, and he is the main focal point. We have a very good game plan and a very good coach to prepare us. I played against him many times, and it’s not going to be any different this time. We are going to be aggressive as a team and try to get the win”.

EuroHoops.net

Portland’s forward was also asked if he is going to give any advice to the coaching stuff about Doncic, since he has faced him many times in the NBA: “I am going to give advice behind closed doors, because I don’t want to give away any secrets. He is a very good player, he is very versatile, and it’s not easy to stop him, but I believe in our guys”.

EuroHoops.net

Brian Shaw on Phil Jackson pulling him in Game 7 vs. Blazers in 2000: “You know, there there's a clip I think when I I came out maybe two or three minutes left in the game and I looked over at him when Ron Harper came in the game for me and I looked at him like, "You sending somebody in for me? So at the time I was pissed, but I understood what Phil was doing cuz he liked to finish the game with who he started the game with. So I understood that later, but at the time I didn't. I was pissed.”

YouTube

Thanks to an admirable fourth quarter and despite the disappointment of losing to Poland in the last seconds, Israel got the crucial 80-69 win over France, which can be pivotal to the Group D rankings. It was the second win of Israel in the tournament after three games and the first defeat of France, with Deni Avdija with 23 points, eight rebounds, and five steals leading a balanced effort. “We had a tough loss yesterday, and I felt a little down, so today coming to the game with no excuses to beat one of the best teams of the tournament is a big deal, honestly, it’s one of the most fun wins I’ve had”, said Avdija

EuroHoops.net

Jordan Loyd was once again the hero for Poland, leading them to their second straight win at FIBA EuroBasket 2025. This time, he scored 27 points and delivered the decisive play—a tip-in off his own miss with 13 seconds left—to lift Poland past Israel 66-64. Israel still had a chance to steal the win, but Deni Avdija's final three-point attempt came up short, sealing Poland's celebration.

BasketNews

Tas Melas: NBA front office executives or coaches I’ve seen at #EuroBasket: Bucks: Jon Horst, Doc Rivers, Darvin Ham. Lakers: Rob Pelinka, Jeanie Buss, Kurt Rambis. Trail Blazers: Chauncey Billups. Kings: BJ Armstrong, Doug Christie. Nuggets: Josh Kroenke.

bsky.app

Former Portland Trail Blazers assistant Kim Hughes has passed away at the age of 73. The news came via the Instagram account of former Blazers center Meyers Leonard who wrote the following remembrance:

Blazers Edge

EuroHoops: Deni Avdija and Roman Sorkin were too much for Iceland to stop, and Israel began its #Eurobasket campaign with a win! 🇮🇱😤

x.com

EuroHoops: Coach Billups was in Poland showing support for Deni Avdija 🤝🔥 #Eurobasket

x.com

The agreed-upon purchase price is $4.25 billion, according to a source who has knowledge of the deal but is not authorized to discuss it publicly. How the buyers group plans to assemble that mountain of cash remains a mystery. Here’s what we know. Do the buyers have the money? The source said financing isn’t a hurdle — if it were just a matter of cash, the source said, the sale could close tomorrow. That’s backed up by the financial savvy at the disposal of the Paul Allen estate, which owns the team and surely has closely scrutinized the bidders’ assets before making a tentative sale agreement.

Oregonian

Sportswriter John Canzano, a former columnist for The Oregonian/OregonLive, reported Tuesday on the possibility Arizona car magnate Ernest Garcia II, or his son, Ernest Garcia III, or both, are helping fund the deal. Almost as soon as Dundon’s bid was first reported, speculation to that effect was passed among multiple high-level local observers. One source told The Oregonian/OregonLive that they believed Garcia III was a “significant player” in the group. The Oregonian/OregonLive was unable to confirm those claims. The source familiar with the deal said the Garcias are not involved.

Oregonian

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.

Oregonian

What’s the timeline for closing the deal? Dundon’s group has an exclusivity agreement with the Allen estate, according to the source close to the deal, which The Athletic also reported on Wednesday. That means the Allen estate isn’t talking with other bidders. Dundon’s group hopes to finalize a formal purchase agreement by September.

Oregonian