PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended a Portland Trail Blazers home game Friday night for the first time since October 2018.
His visit came just days after Oregon legislators approved a bill to form the Oregon Arena Fund, which would reallocate tax revenue to fund renovations of the Moda Center.
Silver called for a renovation of the arena at a news conference during summer league last year.
If Gov. Tina Kotek signs SB 1501, the state would sell $365 million worth of bonds toward the remodel and taxes from athletes, performers, and staff at the Moda Center would repay that bond debt, plus interest, over 20 years.
The city of Portland and Multnomah County would also commit a total of more than $200 million. The total project cost for arena improvements and long-term maintenance is around $600 million.
The key condition is the Trail Blazers would have to agree to stay in Portland for at least 20 years.
During the Blazers broadcast Friday night, Silver was asked about the passage of SB 1501.
“It’s a great first step,” Silver said. “It’s part of why I’m in town today talking to some of the elected officials.”
He went on to say, “I’ve had great conversations with the governor and the mayor, and like I said, it’s been a bipartisan effort. I think everyone in this community recognizes that even in addition to the Trail Blazers and the Fire — and we can’t forget about the Fire, which are about to open this season — that these arenas are multi-use facilities when, whether it’s conventions, or trade shows, concerts, graduations, you name it, they’re part of the lifeblood of communities.”
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, spoke with Silver prior to his arrival and discussed the renovation efforts, according to Wyden.
“I, in particular, can’t imagine our community without the Blazers,” Wyden told KATU. “We’ve got a lot of to do. We’ve got a lot of scrutiny to look at in terms of the various kind of financial arrangements, but I think this community is committed to doing the kind of package that will give everybody a sense that it is taking into account everybody’s interests.”
He went on to say, “We’re going to make the changes to ensure that it’s going to be here for Oregon for decades to come.”
In addition to SB 1501, Silver was also asked about the possibility of an NBA All-Star weekend in Portland.
“First of all, the city has to apply for it,” he said. “And so, assuming Tom Dundon becomes the new governor, the majority team owner of the team, he’s a very ambitious guy. I’m sure he would love to bring an All-Star here. I think part of it, obviously, we need a state-of-the-art arena, and that’s something we’re very focused on now.”
He continued, “And the other thing is that the event keeps growing, and the biggest issue becomes the availability of hotel rooms. I mean, I haven’t looked into it lately because the team isn’t focused on that right now, but we want to get everywhere in the league that we can. We just got to make sure, literally, there are enough rooms, because we bring thousands of people to the market.”