Rip City Project
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Thanks to Clay Bennett, I’ve become a fan of the Trail Blazers

By Christopher O'Day

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 15: CJ McCollum #3 and Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the game against the Orlando Magic on November 15, 2017 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 15: CJ McCollum #3 and Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the game against the Orlando Magic on November 15, 2017 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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2008 was a bad year to be a basketball fan in Washington State. Thanks to Clay Bennett, I’ve been able to get past that and have become a fan of a different team in the Portland Trail Blazers.

It wasn’t always this way. I grew up a Seattle SuperSonics fan. I’m from Northwest Washington, and you can’t get much further away from basketball and still be in the United States. Over the last few years, I have finally accepted the fact and started rooting for the “local” team, the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was always going to be tough to pick another team. One of the best players from my county, Luke Ridnour, even got drafted by the Sonics, meaning that I got to watch someone play on the team I root for in the pros, that I watched as a kid in high school. The only other option growing up moved from Vancouver to Memphis… and they were actually closer distance-wise in Vancouver than the Sonics were in Seattle.

Even though the Blazers are roughly six hours away, they are by far the closest team now. It took me a while to fully accept that I could start rooting for them, even though there were some influences along the way that definitely made it easier.

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One of the big ones was Brandon Roy. Yes, I know that was nearly 15 years ago when he was drafted, but it was also around the times you started hearing the rumors of Bennett stealing the team away from Seattle. Roy played at the University of Washington, and it was neat seeing him end up nearby. He was a great player who can be added to the long list of those whose careers were cut short by injury.

It was tough for a while after that, seeing the talent that was thriving on the Zombie Sonics (what many called the Thunder for quite a while). I didn’t want to get involved in rooting for another team.

Then, the Trail Blazers drafted a kid out of Weber State. One who had been there for four years, which made my Gonzaga loving heart happy. Damian Lillard started drawing me towards the Blazers, and I started quietly rooting for the team, albeit in a mild and subdued manner.

Then, the Trail Blazers did something in 2016 that just about iced it for me. They got one of the best in the business to come to the booth.

Kevin Calabro.

The guy is an all-timer. One of the best to ever do it. It was always so wonderful listening to him when the Sonics were around. Getting to hear him on the Blazers made the decision that much easier for me, and I started to root for Portland.

Next. Portland Trail Blazers: Three things to be grateful for in 2020. dark

It took me a long time, but there isn’t a better basketball franchise I would want to be a part of. I’m glad to be a part of Rip City, the Trail Blazers community, and that I get to see awesome talent everytime I turn in to a Blazers game.