The new owners of the Portland Trail Blazers made their first appearance since the deal closed, telling journalists Thursday at the Moda Center that they were ready to improve everything from the team’s performance to the fan experience in the building.

Tom Dundon, a billionaire from Texas, took control of the team on April 1 after the NBA approved his investment group’s $4.25 billion purchase from the estate of Paul Allen, who owned the team since 1988. Dundon, who owns the Carolina Hurricanes professional hockey team, initially made his money as a subprime auto lender.

Dundon told reporters he will introduce a more demanding environment to increase the pace of the organization’s improvement. Asked if he cared about being liked, Dundon said “In the list of things I care about, it’s lower.”

“I care more about my character than my reputation. I want to win and achieve things without hurting anybody,” he said.

Already, Dundon’s public-facing approach to team ownership is a departure from his predecessors. Paul Allen rarely spoke to the media, and after his death in 2018, Jody Allen did not once speak publicly during her seven years as team owner.

Dundon, however, has given at least three interviews in addition to the press conference since he took control of the team on April 1.

Dundon was flanked by Portland resident Sheel Tyle, a venture capitalist (CK), who is married to Oregon Health Authority Director Sejal Hathi. Tyle is the only Portland-based member of the ownership group. Other investors include the Cherng family, owners of the fast food restaurant chain, Panda Express, who have an estimated net worth of over $7 billion.

“To me, one of the most special things about sport is the power to bring people together,” Tyle said. “It doesn’t actually matter how you pray, who you love, etc., all that matters is on game day, in our case, it’s all about the Portland Trail Blazers. That is something we feel passionately about in this ownership group. It’s something we think that we need right now in this country and this world.”

The new owners are introducing themselves in the midst of asking Oregonians for $600 million to renovate the Moda Center, which opened in 1995.

“This building is pretty neat,” Dundon said, crediting the Allen family. “It needs some work, but is something we can be proud of.”

Blazers management has suggested in lobbying materials shared with city and state officials that the team’s future in Portland is in jeopardy without taxpayer funding for a new arena.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/02/portland-trail-blazers-basketball-moda-center/