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<\/p>\nPORTLAND, Ore. \u2013 For the past year, inside a Portland-area gym, a friendship developed between an NBA superstar and a local entrepreneur.<\/p>\n
Three or four times a week, the paths of Damian Lillard and Sheel Tyle would cross. As one would be finishing a workout, the other would be arriving. Eventually, casual conversation developed.<\/p>\n
Tyle \u2014 the founder of Collective Global, a venture capital firm \u2014 already knew Lillard as the Portland Trail Blazers\u2019 all-time leading scorer. Lillard soon got to know Tyle as a sharp, inquisitive guy who never fan-boyed or pushed his way into conversations.<\/p>\n
Stars in their own lines of work, the two found comfort in the down-to-earth, realness of the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just really liked him,\u201d Lillard said. \u201cHe was close in age to me, and I just got to know him on an organic level. It was natural, in the flow, not forced. And usually, for me \u2014 and I\u2019m sure for him \u2014 we can tell when people are trying to force themselves on us to get close. But he had no reason to, and I had no reason to. So it was just perfect that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soon, they were talking about families, restaurants and sports. When Tyle was in the market for postpartum rehabilitation for his wife, Lillard connected Tyle with his own personal trainer. They learned their birthdays are one day and one year apart: Lillard on July 15, 1990 and Tyle on July 16, 1991.<\/p>\n
Eventually, their relationship extended beyond the gym. They shot hoops at Lillard\u2019s home. And they ate dinner at Tyle\u2019s dining room table, after which Lillard cradled Tyle\u2019s infant daughter, Sia.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until months into their acquaintance that Lillard had a startling revelation. While reading a story about a group making an offer to purchase the Trail Blazers, Lillard took special note of an investor listed in the bid: His buddy from the gym.<\/p>\n
\u201cDame messaged me on Instagram: \u2018This you, bro?\u201d\u2019 Tyle said. \u201cAnd I responded, \u2018Yes sir!’\u201d<\/p>\n
That friendship fostered at the gym officially became a partnership Tuesday after a deal closed to sell the Trail Blazers to Dallas businessman Tom Dundon and four other major investors that include Tyle. In the 56-year history of the Trail Blazers, the 34-year-old Tyle joins franchise founder Harry Glickman as the only Oregonians to stake an ownership claim. Tyle, who will be the Blazers\u2019 alternate governor, is also the youngest to ever own a part of the Blazers, edging former owner Paul Allen, who bought the team in 1988 when he was 35.<\/p>\n
Locally, the sale to Dundon\u2019s group is being met with cautious optimism. While some welcome a fresh \u2013 and with Tyle a local \u2014 approach, some have expressed apprehension about the group\u2019s intentions. The Blazers have an agreement to play at the Moda Center through 2030, but the organization is seeking $600 million in public funding to help renovate the 31-year-old arena. Dundon has said if the renovations are funded, he will sign a 20-year lease. It\u2019s the unspoken threat that unnerves: what if the funding isn\u2019t approved?<\/p>\n
Tyle says one of his motives in investing in the Blazers is ensuring they remain in Portland. And that\u2019s why the friendship between Tyle and Lillard, and how it came about, is worth underscoring, however subtle it may be. Communication and transparency were not strong suits of the Allen regimes. Paul Allen would address the fans through the media once a year. Jody Allen never spoke publicly in her eight years. Both entered and left the arena flanked by a small army of security guards. For 38 years, the Portland community had little connection, little dialogue and no understanding of Blazers ownership.<\/p>\n
Now, fans could be walking next to the Blazers owner in the grocery store. At the gas station. In the gym. Or while getting pizza at Tyle\u2019s favorite spot, Lovely\u2019s Fifty Fifty.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lives here. You can bump into him around town,\u201d Lillard said. \u201cI think that element alone is super important to our fans and people here. He\u2019s been able to see and feel how important the Trail Blazers are to Portland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyle won\u2019t say how much he invested into the franchise\u2019s $4.25-billion selling price, but says it is the biggest investment he has ever made. This investment is propelled by his core tenet of entrepreneurship: Successful business is not motivated by making money; it is fueled by a cause or passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very important the team stay, and for me, that\u2019s one of the reasons why I\u2019m in it,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cThe city and state are too special not to have them.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has lived in Oregon for only two-plus years, but he says he already has an understanding of how deeply the Blazers matter to Oregonians. He went to high school in Rochester, N.Y., and the passion of Portland fans reminds him of the civic bond the Bills had with Buffalo and upstate New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cSports are one of the great unifiers, where people from different backgrounds, different religions, different beliefs, can rally around the same thing,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cWe need that, in Oregon and in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says his financial commitment, and his local presence, will give Portland a voice if relocation is ever broached by the rest of the ownership group. Tyle insists moving the team is not on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want people to be concerned or scared,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cWe are committed to Portland, 100 percent. Full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, 18 years ago when Clay Bennett bought the Seattle SuperSonics, he told then-NBA commissioner David Stern in an email that he was \u201cpassionately committed\u201d to Seattle. One year later, the Sonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder, and emails uncovered between the owners revealed their intentions to move from the onset after public funding for arena upgrades failed.<\/p>\n
Lillard said he believes Tyle and his passion for Portland, and he feels that passion can help bridge the gap between the franchise and the community. For most of their 56-year existence, the Blazers have been run by out-of-state owners: Larry Weinberg (Los Angeles) was majority owner from 1975 until he sold to Allen (Seattle) in 1988.<\/p>\n
Tyle has lived in the Portland area since 2024 and his wife, Dr. Sejal Hathi, was appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek as the director of the Oregon Health Authority in November 2023. The couple\u2019s only child was born at Oregon Health and Science University last April.<\/p>\n
Lillard says Tyle is more than just a guy with a local address, and more than someone making a promise to keep the team in Portland. He described Tyle as humble, authentic and curious \u2026 and obsessive about improving the franchise.<\/p>\n
When asked what Blazers fans are getting from his friend, Lillard was emphatic.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re gonna have an owner that is one of us,\u201d Lillard said.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, hours after the sale of the Blazers closed, Dundon and Tyle watched their new team play the Clippers in Los Angeles. They met with players and coaches, and flew home on the team\u2019s charter flight.<\/p>\n
Tyle says they will be hands-on owners, visible and proactive. And they will be demanding.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Dundon) has this great quote, and we\u2019re going to tell the players this: \u2018Our job is to find somebody better than you. Your job is to make sure that person doesn\u2019t exist,\u2019\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
Tyle and Dundon will hit the ground running. On Wednesday and Thursday, the pair will meet with groups of employees on the business and basketball side of the franchise.<\/p>\n
Employees will be asked to provide the new owners their Key Performance Indicators, or how they measure their own success. Tyle says he wants to know what employees view as the challenges within the organization, as well as what opportunities should be pursued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe staff will not be used to this level of intensity,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cI don\u2019t think people are going to like it, actually. I think they\u2019ll be uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyle says the intent is not to intimidate, but rather to learn. He says this will not be a group who comes in thinking it has all the answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to ask a ton of questions, and we\u2019re going to show up,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cAnd then based on everything we learn, we are going to institute a culture of accountability and one driven by metrics.\u201d<\/p>\n
His learning process will be amplified by what he believes is his greatest strength: listening. His mom would often remind him he has \u201ctwo ears and one mouth\u201d and his grandmother instilled into him an adage that resonates: \u201cYou don\u2019t learn anything when you are talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I listen a lot more than I talk,\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
In the coming days, he wants to hear answers to questions he has wondered throughout this Blazers season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we not make the same mistakes in Game 60 as Game 6?\u201d Tyle said. \u201cAnd how do we support players or medical staff so injury recoveries are quicker and don\u2019t recur? I think we see the problems, and we\u2019re asking the questions. We care. A lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says he plans to occasionally attend practices to gather information and to be available to players, coaches, employees if they want to provide feedback. In March, he and his wife attended a home game of the Blazers\u2019 G League affiliate, the Remix, sitting courtside with Blazers president Dewayne Hankins.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to learn what\u2019s going on,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cWhat are we doing at practices? Who runs the practices? The only way I\u2019m going to know is to show up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing up, the Tyle family vacations were not to Disneyland, or sunny beaches. Instead, Tyle has memories of food poisoning in Nairobi, seeing hunger in Lagos, or experiencing chaos and time zone disorientation while being in India, Asia or South America.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents never took us to luxurious places,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cThey wanted to show us the real world. I think they wanted to show us how much privilege we had just by being in America. And it made you realize: We\u2019re all far more similar than different. It didn\u2019t matter if I was 12 and living in Rochester, N.Y., or 12 and living in Lagos, Nigeria. We all want to be happy and have a sense of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in San Diego, Tyle is the son of parents who separately emigrated from India in 1980. His father went to Ohio State and became a chemist who worked for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. His mother went to Washington University in St. Louis and became an architect.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir thing with me and my younger brother (Sujay) is that education is your path to a better life,\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Tyle, the founder of a venture capital firm, speaks at the Fast Company European Innovation Festival in 2019. (Claudio Lavenia\/Getty Images for Fast Company)<\/p>\n
Growing up he lived in California, Texas, Michigan, New Jersey and New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother and I were always the new kid,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cIt forced us to be adaptable and to appreciate and connect with people of different backgrounds, and to make friends quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
His parents were driven by helping people. His father used science to create new therapies and drugs to combat cancer. His mom designed buildings in the Rochester School District, believing architecture could help foster better infrastructure and learning environments.<\/p>\n
Tyle, meanwhile, simply wanted to make the world a little better.<\/p>\n
When he was a child, while on a family trip to Nairobi, he visited an orphanage for the blind. He was intrigued. What causes blindness? That trip stuck with him, and during high school he emailed a handful of professors at the University of Rochester, hoping to research and experiment with a hypothesis on blindness. Only one professor replied and allowed him to conduct his research.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat experience taught me that having an intuition is not the same thing as having an answer,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cYou have to probe, question, test your assumptions and then let the data validate or disprove what you think. And it taught me to be OK with finding a result that was the opposite of what you thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 19, he graduated from Stanford, finishing his Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology and Public Policy in three years. He also has a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.<\/p>\n
Today, one of the traits he values in people is intellectual curiosity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love to be around people who are trying to change the status quo,\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
As a college intern at Bessemer Venture Partners, he observed how a single seed investment in the company Celtel transformed an entire continent, bringing the mobile phone to Africa. A few years later, inspired by the Occupy Wall Street Movement, he invested in Robinhood, a company that allowed those with lower to middle income access to financial services, not just the wealthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was unfair to me that the rich were getting richer, but the poor didn\u2019t have access to the same financial products and were being charged much higher commissions,\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
With a credo of \u201cbuilding companies that matter,\u201d Tyle by age 27 had raised a $100-million fund, and today has investments on six continents, ranging from communication software to electronic equipment to artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
His smarts and intuition earned him millions \u2026 and a call from Tom Dundon.<\/p>\n
After Portland failed to secure a WNBA expansion franchise in 2023, Tyle made a bid to bring the women\u2019s league back to Portland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got scooped,\u201d Tyle said, noting the Bhathal family\u2019s winning bid of $125 million in 2024. \u201cI was frustrated \u2026 there was no process.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is no bitterness now, in part because he later met the Bhathals (\u201cvery nice people\u201d) and in part because a friend put Tyle in contact with Allen & Company, an investment bank hired by the WNBA to find prospective owners for future expansion franchises.<\/p>\n
Tyle took part in the WNBA\u2019s process, even making a bid on an expansion team, and on an existing WNBA team. But he pulled his bid, asking himself \u201cwhat am I doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great investment opportunity, but I don\u2019t live nor have any ties to those cities,\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
In May 2025, the Trail Blazers were put up for sale by the Estate of Paul Allen, which hired Allen & Company to facilitate the sale. Knowing Tyle lived in Portland, and his previous interest in buying a sports franchise, Allen & Company asked Tyle how he wanted to play the Blazers.<\/p>\n
He told them he would love to own them, but didn\u2019t have enough money to be the governor (NBA requires the controlling owner to hold at least 15 percent of equity in a team). Tyle said he would, however, be open to partnering with someone and being an alternate governor.<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, Allen & Company found someone interested in being the lead investor: Dundon. Over an email, the two were introduced by Allen & Company. Two minutes later, Dundon was ringing Tyle and providing a memorable opening.<\/p>\n
There was no \u201chello.\u201d No \u201cnice to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the F-word.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he was being kind,\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\n Sheel Tyle sitting with Trail Blazers president Dewayne Hankins and wife, Dr. Sejal Tyle Hathi at a G League game in March at the University of Portland. (Trail Blazers photo)<\/p>\n
Dundon\u2019s expletive was in reverence to Tyle and how much he had accomplished at such a young age. He joked that he wanted Tyle to mentor his kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s kind of a unique personality,\u201d Dundon said Tuesday. \u201cWhen people meet him, they like him. He\u2019s got high energy. He\u2019s a younger guy that\u2019s been super successful, \u00a0loves basketball, lives in Portland, so you put all that together and it\u2019s pretty easy (to say) we could use one of those.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Tyle was impressed with Dundon and how direct and egoless he was as they flowed through topics. But mostly, Tyle liked Dundon\u2019s primary philosophy: When we pay, we pay players.<\/p>\n
\u201cTom\u2019s whole thing is \u2018I don\u2019t want to save money on players; I want the best players,\u201d\u2019 Tyle said.<\/p>\n
Since that first phone call in May, Tyle said he and Dundon have talked nearly every day.<\/p>\n
One of the topics they have discussed: Dundon\u2019s volatile past. He was sued by the Alliance of American Football League, which accused him of not fulfilling an investment promise (Dundon was ordered to pay $1). And in 2020, one of Dundon\u2019s subprime loan companies \u2014 Santander Consumer USA \u2014 lost a $550-million lawsuit filed by 34 states for deceptive and improper loan servicing.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, when you are successful, you get sued,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cBut for me, it was how he stood by his principles through it all that stayed with me. And you see that show up in how he does business day to day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyle says Dundon had a recent interaction with a bank while securing a business loan. Dundon had a handshake agreement on borrowing terms with one bank, but a week later was proposed a better rate from a different bank. Tyle says Dundon did business with the first bank, even though it cost him money.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was like, \u2018No, I\u2019m a man of my word,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cI\u2019m going to take that deal for better or for worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe it stems from those vacations to Nairobi and Lagos as a youth, or maybe it\u2019s because he does business on six continents, but Tyle says one of his grandest goals is to elevate the Blazers beyond Portland.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing you will find about me: I don\u2019t think regional. I think global,\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
He notes how the Blazers lead the NBA in minutes played by international players, including starters Deni Avdija (Israel), Toumani Camara (Belgium), Shaedon Sharpe (Canada) and reserves Vit Krej\u010d\u00ed (Czech Republic), Sidy Cissoko (France) and Yang Hansen (China). And in January, he dined with former NBA star Yao Ming of China while on a trip to China and Korea.<\/p>\n
\u201cYao said more people are watching the Blazers in China than any other team,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cThey knew Hansen\u2019s stats from the Rip City Remix (Portland\u2019s G League team) from the night before. It just shows again how sports can be a unifier.\u201d<\/p>\n
In May, Tyle and his wife are traveling to Japan, where he is meeting with a collection of Japanese dignitaries, as well as the heads of two Japanese airlines. He wants to restart nonstop flights between Tokyo and Portland.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my goals is to have the Blazers be Asia\u2019s team,\u201d Tyle said.<\/p>\n
His desire to expand Portland\u2019s reach is fueled by a belief that Portland is worthy. He says that\u2019s why he named the group\u2019s purchasing entity Rip City Rising, a nod to his mission of making his investment about more than basketball.<\/p>\n
He believes the Blazers can be the hub to a vibrant civic environment while also helping Portland ascend into a world-class attraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t call the group Rip City Stabilizing, or Rip City Reminiscing \u2014 we called it Rip City Rising because the Trail Blazers can and should be a small part of the state\u2019s resurgence to greater heights,\u201d Tyle said. \u201cI don\u2019t want the story to be \u2018Portland has a homeless issue, a drug problem, the economy stinks \u2026 let\u2019s leave.\u2019 The opposite should be true. I love this place. We are rising, this is a city on the ascent.\u201d<\/p>\n
That optimism, that enthusiasm, and that vision are why Lillard says he believes the Blazers are getting something special with Tyle. Few players have been embraced by fans in Portland like Lillard, he knows what the fan base values. They want dedicated work, transparency and a passion that Portland can be better. They want to feel a part of the Blazers, and the people running it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, it\u2019s one thing to have a player who is one of you, and to even have a coach who is one of you,\u201d Lillard said. \u201cBut to have an owner that\u2019s one of us? That\u2019s a different thing. And he is that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORTLAND, Ore. \u2013 For the past year, inside a Portland-area gym, a friendship developed between an NBA superstar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":691848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3784],"tags":[7,601,6,687,471,3967,10,1617],"class_list":{"0":"post-691847","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-portland-trail-blazers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-blazers","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-portland","12":"tag-portland-trail-blazers","13":"tag-portlandtrailblazers","14":"tag-sports-business","15":"tag-trail-blazers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116329515507809867","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}