MADRID, 13 (EUROPA PRESS)
NHL owner Tom Dundon of the Carolina Hurricanes has agreed to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers for just over $4 billion (around €3.5 billion), acquiring the Oregon-based NBA franchise from the estate of Paul G. Allen.
This was confirmed on Wednesday by the websites of Sportico and ESPN, stating that Dundon intends to keep the team in Portland. Other members of the investment group led by Dundon include Marc Zahr (co-president of Blue Owl Capital) and Sheel Tyle (founder and co-CEO of Collective Global).
The Trail Blazers announced last May that they would formally be put up for sale "and that the proceeds from the sale would be used for philanthropic initiatives," according to ESPN. However, any transaction involving this franchise would need to be approved by the NBA.
Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen died of cancer in 2018, and his will stipulated the sale of the Trail Blazers "at some point." His sister, Jody Allen, has served as the team's governor and executor of the family trust during that time.
The trust has stated that the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL team it also owns, will not be part of this transaction. Nor will its 25% stake in the Seattle Sounders FC, the MLS team that played Atlético Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup a month and a half ago.
