Welcome back to the countdown of my favorite reporting moments from the Portland Trail Blazers season, a digital scrapbook of my first season on the job as the Blazer’s Edge beat writer.
As a reminder, “favorite” doesn’t necessarily mean “positive” for the Blazers or even for me. Rather, the countdown is a list of the most interesting or memorable moments to be a part of over the 2024-25 campaign, spanning from September’s Media Day to the Blazers’ regular-season finale in April.
Today’s installment will cover Nos. 8-7 on the list. Let’s jump in!
No. 8: DA’s Media Day
Trail Blazers Media Day was a little bland until 6-foot-11 center Deandre Ayton walked through the door. Ayton immediately lifted up the energy with his big personality, perhaps only outdone by the larger-than-life gold chain around his neck.
Among other topics, he talked of his juice routine: “All types of stuff the chef got me drinkin’, man. Beet juice, I’ve seen some orange juice with ginger in it. All the cleansing stuff.”
He dropped that trademark nickname: “Oh yeah, that’s me. That’s DominAyton.”
And he raved about his teammates, particularly rookie center Donovan Clingan: “He uses his body so well, and he sacrifices his body for his teammates. That’s how he plays, and he doesn’t even know how important that is in this league.”
The interview helped put to bed any lingering worries that Ayton may have been irked by the Blazers drafting another center with the No. 7 overall pick last summer. It also set a precedent in regards to the unpredictable and often comedic nature of Ayton’s interviews throughout the season, making the former No. 1 overall pick a fresh quote machine in a sports world of cliche and repetition.
In a similar vein, Ayton’s enthusiasm stood out the most at team charity events this season. You could see it at the Blazers holiday giveaway in December, as Ayton helped kids pick out toys with great focus and chatter. And you could see it when he led a large group of Boys and Girls Club kids to the gymnasium at an event in October.
“That’s my boy right there! That’s Chauncey!” Ayton shouted as the group passed by the reporting scrum around head coach Chauncey Billups. “ … You see the cool kids walking!?”
Along with wing Matisse Thybulle, Ayton has cemented his standing as one of the most entertaining interviews on this Trail Blazers roster.
No. 7: The Rain City Showcase
The Rain City Showcase, a preseason exhibition between the Blazers and LA Clippers in Seattle on Oct. 11, featured a lot in terms of spectacle: a neutral site location in a major city; a strange but extravagant partnership with Pokemon that included Poke Ball-themed basketballs, Pokemon mascots and cardboard Pikachu hats for every fan; and a pregame speech from passionate Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
Above all, the most fascinating part of the day trip to the neighboring Pacific Northwest city was the swelling sea of Seattle Supersonics fans and legends who showed up. They arrived en masse in their green, gold and white to remind the NBA they’re still waiting to get their team back.
The atmosphere at preseason basketball games is usually tame; the attendance is lower and the cheers are softer. That was far from the case here, as Seattle fans used the event as a raucous demonstration to the league. They brought protest signs addressed to League Commissioner Adam Silver and got loud every time the jumbotron flashed another Supersonic legend in attendance, from Gary Payton to Lenny Wilkens to George Karl to Shawn Kemp. For the many Sonics fans in attendance, it was a celebratory reconnection to their dormant hometown team, an aching reminiscence and an angry call for action.
Along with my usual Blazer-centric coverage of the game, the scene in Seattle gave me a rare chance to write a story more from a national perspective. I walked around the arena at pregame, talking with local fans about their cause to bring the NBA back to Seattle for good. By nature, man-on-the-street style stories are unpredictable, only as good as the interview subjects you happen to pull aside. Luckily, the fans I chatted with were phenomenal speakers, providing a plethora of quotes to choose from.
There was 55-year-old LaHoma Walker, who attended the game with her husband, both decked out in full Sonics gear.
“It is a protest,” she said. “That is why I got the floor seat, so you can see my Sonics gear, so you guys can bring back my Sonics.”
There was also 13-year-old Elliott Anderson, who stood out in the crowd because of his age and how long he kept his sign held high. He wasn’t born yet when the Sonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008, but he was too devoted to the cause to worry about tired arms.
“I don’t know why they haven’t come back yet,” he said. “ … I love basketball, but I haven’t had anyone to root for.”
Grid View
As fate would have it, I would run into Elliott later this season at the Moda Center. I spotted him in the crowd prior to the Blazers-Lakers game on Feb. 20 and asked him how things were going with the pursuit to bring the Sonics back. He informed me about a joke Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell had made just that week in his State of the City address. Harrell brought out a basketball, saying he had an announcement to make — insinuating to the crowd he was going to announce the Sonics’ return. Then he abruptly pulled the ball back and said, “I’m just kidding, I just got you.”
The “gotchya” moment was viewed in poor taste by many and went viral for the wrong reasons, prompting Harrell to apologize. Elliott was one of those people who didn’t appreciate the attempt at humor, though he did see a silver lining in the situation.
“I was like, ‘Come on, dude,’” Elliott said. “But I feel like he wouldn’t have done that if there wasn’t something that he knew that was coming up in the near future.”