Category: Portland Trail Blazers Blog

Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan was evaluated today after he left Tuesday night’s game vs. Brooklyn. It has been determined to be a mild left ankle sprain.

Clingan will be re-evaluated in one week and updates will be given as appropriate.

The Portland Trail Blazers mourn the passing of former radio announcer Brian Wheeler, who passed away on Friday, November 8. Wheeler, better known as “Wheels” served as the radio voice of the Trail Blazers for 21 seasons from 1998-2019.

Wheels was raised in the Los Angeles area, spending his early years listening to sports broadcasting legends Vin Scully and Chick Hearn that would influence his future work. He attended Loyola University in Chicago, beginning his broadcasting career on campus before making it to the pros. His 35-year broadcasting career included stops with the Sacramento Kings & Monarchs, Seattle Sonics, and Chicago Bulls, before 21 seasons in Rip City.

Wheels was named Oregon Sportscaster of the Year in 2007, recognizing his impact on the state’s sports culture. His iconic trademark call of “BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA” is still widely used across the industry and a fan favorite to this day inside Moda Center. His love for the game and passion for the Trail Blazers came through in every radio call, making each play a thrill for every listener tuning in. As we mourn Wheels passing, we fondly remember his post-win declaration, “And once again we can say: It’s a great day to be a Blazer!”

The Portland Trail Blazers have exercised the 2025-26 team contract option on the Rookie Scale contracts of guards Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and forward Kris Murray.

Sharpe, the 7th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Trail Blazers, posted 15.9 points (40.6% FG, 33.3% 3-PT, 82.4% FT), 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals in 33.1 minutes per game in 32 games (25 starts) during the 2023-24 season and earned a 2024 Rising Stars selection at All-Star weekend. The second-year guard holds career averages of 11.6 points (44.5% FG, 35.0% 3-PT, 77.2% FT), 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.6 steals and 25.3 minutes per game in 112 career games (40 starts) in two seasons with Portland.

During his rookie campaign, Henderson averaged 14.0 points (32.5% 3-PT, 81.9% FT), 3.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists and 28.5 minutes per game in 62 games (32 starts) for the Trail Blazers and ranked amongst rookies first in assists per game (5.4), first in total assists (336), fifth in points per game (14.0) and sixth in total points (868).

In his first season out of Iowa, Murray accrued averages of 6.1 points (39.6% FG, 26.8% 3-PT, 66.1% FT), 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.9 steals and 21.7 minutes per game in 62 games (29 starts) in his rookie season.

The Portland Trail Blazers recently signed guard James Bouknight to an Exhibit-10 contract.

In three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Bouknight accrued career averages of 4.8 points (33.5% 3-PT, 76.2% FT), 1.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 11.4 minutes per game in 79 career games for the Hornets. During the 2023-24 season, the former 11th overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft shot a career-high 43.3% from three.

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced today that it has awarded Portland, Oregon, the league’s 15th franchise. The Portland team, set to begin play in the 2026 season, will be owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. Portland is the third expansion franchise awarded by the WNBA during this round of expansion, following the Golden State Valkyries and a Toronto franchise, bringing the league from 12 to 15 teams.

“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard Taze Moore to a Two-Way contract, it was announced today by Trail Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin.

Moore originally signed a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 20, 2024, then signed for the rest of the season on April 14. He appeared in four games during 2023-24 NBA season for Portland and totaled 18 points (8-19 FG, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. In the season finale for the Trail Blazers on April 14, Moore scored a career-high 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes at the Sacramento Kings.

The Houston alum appeared in 22 games for the Trail Blazers NBA G League affiliate, Rip City Remix during the 2023-24 season, accruing averages of 15.6 points (49.8% FG, 35.1% 3-PT, 73.3% FT), 5.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.7 minutes per game. Moore was originally acquired by the Rip City Remix on Jan. 11.

The Portland Trail Blazers will tip-off their four-game 2024-25 preseason schedule with a matchup against the LA Clippers, who will host the Trail Blazers in Seattle, Wash. at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. PT. The Clippers matchup marks the second time the teams have faced off in Seattle for a preseason game, the first occurring during the 2022-23 preseason.

The Trail Blazers will then travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings at Golden 1 Center on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. PT before returning home to Portland to kick off the preseason homestand.

Portland will host Ratiopharm Ulm of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) at Moda Center on Wednesday, Oct. 16 and then will conclude the preseason schedule vs. UTA on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. PT.

The Portland Trail Blazers recently named Ronnie Burrell as an assistant coach on Head Coach Chauncey Billups’ staff.

Burrell joins the Trail Blazers after most recently spending the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets. Prior to joining Brooklyn, Burrell spent the 2022-23 season as the head coach of the Nets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Burrell led Long Island to a 23-9 overall record in the regular season, tied for the second-best record in the NBA G League and earned NBA G League Coach of the Year honors.

Prior to rejoining the Nets organization ahead of the 2022-23 season, Burrell spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach with the College Park Skyhawks, the NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, and the previous season as a player development coordinator with the Chicago Bulls. The Montclair, N.J., native previously played 11 professional seasons (2005-2016) in France, Germany and Poland after a four-year collegiate playing career (2001-05) at UNC Greensboro.