Beyond Basketball: Portland Trail Blazers Most Memorable On Court Incidents
4. Robin Lopez’s Mascot Wars
In just two seasons, Robin Lopez came to be loved by the city of Portland. His on court hustle, off court community presence gave Blazer fans every reason to appreciate the big haired center. A frequent guest in classrooms and at Portland’s Comic Con, he fit right in with the culture of the city.
His fan favourite status was only elevated by his ongoing beef with a large number of mascots around the league. Looking back, this 2013 tweet from Detroit Pistons’ Hooper seems to be the first sign of the unpleasantries to come:
@eegabeeva88 when u come in my house tomoro, u better not make eye contact. Ask ur bro what happens...
— Hooper (@PistonsHooper) December 15, 2013
Occurring in the midst of his first season with Portland, Blazer fans witnessed several pre game standoffs between Lopez and the home team’s challenger. Seeing him square up to Washington’s G-Wiz, or playing rock, paper, scissors with the Sacramento Kings mascot Slamson, was just too goofy to hate.
Despite leaving the team five yeas ago, the antics have continued anywhere he goes. While his list of furry foes remains long to this day, there is one mascot who will forever have love for Lopez.