06 June 2023 , 11:10
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Nike co-founder Phil Knight has said to be highly frustrated with his attempts to buy Portland Trial Blazers continuing to be rejected.
Knight has been looking to get in touch with the current owner of the franchise, who has repeatedly knocked him back insisting that the team is not yet for sale - but could be within the coming months.
The Trail Blazers former owner, Paul Allen, sadly passed away in 2018 after a long battle with cancer, but left all of his assets to his sister, Jody Allen - including the NBA side and NFL's Seattle Seahawks. In the summer of 2022, Knight, alongside Los Angeles Dodgers owner Alan Smolinisky made a bid of more than $2billion to take over the NBA team, but was knocked back by the Allen estate.
A from the Wall Street Journal suggested that the Allen family could sell both the Trial Blazers and the Seahawks - but any deal would be unlikely until the summer of 2024.
As for Knight and Smolinisky's offers for the NBA outfit, the two are said to be frustrated with their rejected offer not coming with any feedback or counter - leaving them confused about the state of the deal and whether the Allen family will sell at all.
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Knight founded Nike in his home city of Portland in 1964, and he remains a big fan of the Trail Blazers - having reportedly made several attempts to purchase the franchise.
A big reason as to why he's looking to buy the team now, is said to be to assure that the team remains in his hometown - after continuous rumours of a potential move to a new location, with Seattle and Las Vegas said to prime relocation spots.
Nike founder is looking to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers from AllenAnd although the team may be for sale in the future, Allen has insisted that she will not sell for now. This is despite Paul's wishes, who had stated for his fortune would be liquidated and making huge donations to charities.
Jody told the Wall Street Journal: "Phil Knight and I have not spoken," with the Seahawks and Trail Blazers remaining off the market at this time.
Allen purchased the Trail Blazers for $70million in 1988, before buying the Seahawks for $194m nine years later. The Seahawks are now valued at $4.5bn, while the Trail Blazers could be sold for as much as $2.1bn.