EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon lawmakers took a step to keep the Portland Trailblazers in the state by passing Senate Bill 1501. Oregon’s House voted to pass the bill on Friday, just two days after the Senate approved it.
The proposal would spend $365 million to renovate the Moda Center, which will come out of Oregon’s General Fund starting in 2027. Revenue from the general fund comes from Oregonians personal income tax.
And sports fans are excited that lawmakers are keeping the state’s only NBA team.
“I’m an avid sports fan,” said Chuck Rear, a Eugene local. “I’m not a big Trailblazer fan, but I do pay attention a little bit. And their success is, I think, important to Portland and to the state of Oregon as a whole.”
Even those who don’t go to the Moda Center said they understand the importance of the venue for the state.
“Obviously, games are held there, concerts are held there,” said Shelby West, another Eugene resident. “I mean, it is the event center. It draws in tourists. It draws in money for Oregon. So, I mean, I get that they would want to keep it here.”
Dewayne Hankins, Portland Trail Blazers President Of Business Operations thanked Governor Tina Kotek and Oregonians in a statement.
“Thank you to Governor Kotek, who has championed Oregon’s Arena from the very start,” Hankins said. “And, thank you to every Oregonian who weighed in throughout the legislative process with stories about what Moda Center and the Blazers mean to them. Rip City truly does run deep.”
The next step for the bill is for Governor Kotek to sign it, and she has shown her complete support for it.
This move to keep the Trailblazers for the next 20 years, is different from the method taken to attempt building a new stadium to keep the Eugene Emeralds in Eugene.
“The Emeralds efforts were because of changes in Major League Baseball facility requirements, which just aren’t met at PK Park,” said Allan Benavides, special adviser to the Elmore Sports Group. “Voters voted it down and we accept that. We’ve got a tremendous run over 70 years in Eugene.”
In May, 2024, Eugene voters ultimately voted against a $15 million bond for construction of a new stadium for the Emeralds at the Lane County Fairgrounds.
“I was disappointed,” said Rear. “As a kid, and I grew up in Eugene, going to the Ems game was just kind of part of summertime action.”
The Emeralds are now looking for a new home and hoping to stay in the state, with Medford looking like their best option right now.
“We’re currently looking in Medford and we’re still in the early stages of that,” Benavides said. “But it’s a really great market, a lot of great enthusiasm for baseball, a lot of San Francisco Giants fans there.”
Residents are now hoping their investment in keeping the Trailblazers will be worth their money.
“Wish they were better,” Eugene local Steve Anderson said. “But maybe they will be after this.”