Rip City Project
Fansided

Portland Trail Blazers Fan Fest pays homage to the most important part of Rip City, their tireless supporters

Doug Patrick|
PORTLAND, OR - MAY 9: T-shirts for the fans are displayed before Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors during the 2016 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2016 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - MAY 9: T-shirts for the fans are displayed before Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors during the 2016 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2016 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Portland Trail Blazers hosted their annual Fan Fest this past Sunday.

This past Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers hosted their annual Fan Fest. A free event that’s basically a glorified pickup game between members of the Blazers roster. 7,821 excited fans came to watch the newest iteration of their team.

Joe Freeman of OregonLive reported on the event, which you can read here.

The team was split accordingly:

The Black team came out victorious over the Gray, 67-53 (six minute quarters).

Meyers Leonard took home the most coveted hardware of the season, Fan Fest MVP as CJ McCollum proved once-and-for-all that he is the better player between him and Damian Lillard.

Joking aside, the event is a perfect way for the fans and the team to pay homage to each other. The evening emphasizes fun with basketball as the driving force.

In fact, between one of the quarters, CJ McCollum took the microphone and introduced what’s become an annual rookie initiation ritual for the Blazers: the Rookie dance-off.

This year’s combatants: Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent, Jr.

This year’s music: the Harlem Shake.

As it became strikingly clear, Gary Trent Jr. holds the crown as the better dancer between them. But the laughter among them, the team, and the fans works to create a Hallmark moment of community for Portland basketball.

The evening also held a three-point shooting competition. The contest works as a tournament between members of the Black and Gray teams, the winners of each bracket facing off against each other.

The final round saw Nik Stauskas of the Gray team face off against Jake Layman of the Black. Layman defeated Stauskas, 16-13.

During the games, Brooke Olzendam caught up with CJ McCollum and asked why Fan Fest was such a fun event for him. He said:

"“I think it’s important for us to play in front of the fans. They support us throughout the year. They’re the reason why, you know, we have one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA, so being able to play in front of them is always a lot of fun and [we] get to showcase some of the young talent while working on some stuff we’ve done in practice.”"

Rip City’s fans are, after all, what keeps this team going. Last year, the Blazers ranked seventh in homecourt attendance, and it’s no secret that the Moda Center can get loud.

Before the real business of the regular season gets underway, Fan Fest is the boost of good energy that every team needs to get off to a good start.