Trail Blazers Fan Fest Displays the Circle of Life in Sports

The circle of life in sports, full of roster tear-downs and rebuilds, winning and losing, is an emotional, yet natural process. It’s one thePortland Trail Blazersand their fans are processing through right now.

After 11 seasons of rooting for and falling in love with Damian Lillard, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer is gone. Now a member of theMilwaukee Bucks, Lillard’s iconic “Letter O” jersey oddly comes in green and white, no longer red and black. In the franchise legend’s absence, fans have new jersey numbers to buy and a fresh group of faces to learn. To root for. To fall in love with all over again.

“我们的角色在业务方面真的是fans to fall in love with these new players,” said Trail Blazers President Dewayne Hankins at Media Day on Oct. 2.

Trail Blazers Fan Fest at the Moda Center on Sunday afternoon represented one of the first opportunities in that moving-on process. The annual event, which featured an intra-squad scrimmage, player interviews, shooting contests and other festivities, gave supporters the chance to get to know and connect with the new personalities of the team. Personalities like the joyous No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson, hulking 7-foot center Deandre Ayton, athletic demon Robert Williams III — who has all the early makings and hustle of a fan favorite — and the wise Malcolm Brogdon, among a host of others. Even those who are returning, like Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe, figure to play far more prominent roles than before.

“It’s different. Kind of a bittersweetness almost,” said Blazers fan Hieu Kha, 37, who was checking out the new merchandise at the Moda Center’s Rip City Clothing store during Fan Fest, along with his wife Chelsea Piper and 20-month-old son Evan.

“All my favorites left, I’m just heartbroken today,” said Piper, 33, with a bit of a laugh.

Regardless of the heartache that came from losing Lillard, and mainstays like Jusuf Nurkic or, if you go a little further back, CJ McCollum, Piper and Kha showed up for Fan Fest. They were ready to embrace the next generation.

“[Lillard] had 11 years with us, so I’m excited for the new change, the new players, for him to start becoming a fan,” said Kha, motioning to Evan, sitting atop his shoulders in Rip City red.

The complimentary event was sold out, according to the Trail Blazers website, which for Fan Fest meant the majority of the Moda Center’s first two levels were full. The crowd roared to welcome new players, stood up as the lights dimmed and Stadium PA Announcer Mark Mason called out starting lineups for the scrimmage, and laughed along with the rookies as they were forced to sing karaoke.

“It’s good that he’s a ball player,” said one fan in her review of forward Kris Murray’s voice-cracking, window-shattering performance.

Lillard’s departure didn’t cast a black cloud on the festivities, but his presence, or lack thereof, was felt — at least in the sheer number of Lillard jerseys flooding the stands. By a wide margin, Lillard’s jersey was the most worn of the day, outweighing sprinkled showings of Sharpe’s No. 17 and Simons’ No. 1; rare sightings of Henderson’s No. 00; and throwbacks to Clyde Drexler and Brandon Roy. Given the newness of the team, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. For the better part of a decade, Lillard’s No. 0 was the go-to, the default, serving as a stock image for what a Blazers fan looks like.

“I’m a Blazers fan, and I’m a Dame fan. For life,” said 34-year-old fan Nate Kaleel.

Kaleel’s sentiment was one shared by every Blazers fan this writer spoke with at Fan Fest. They were sad to see the franchise great go, holding a reverence for what he did, but showed excitement for the future. Kaleel called the split a “win-win,” as Lillard has a better shot at a title and the Blazers get to reset with a solid foundation in place.

“We got a really young, super explosive, athletic team,” said Kaleel. “We may not have a super winning season, but we’re gonna be putting up some highlights, so it’s gonna be good for the fans.”

Blazers fan Kim Frentress, 53, attended Fan Fest with her family as an early birthday celebration for her son. She gushed about the addition of Ayton, the prized trade chip acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the Lillard transaction, ready to see what he could bring to the paint. Frentress also found it easy to cheer on a revamped Blazers roster featuring so many young players.

“I’m more of the Jerome Kersey-type players that just are all in, I like those kinds of players better,” Frentress said. “I feel like the younger players have a lot to prove. They’re going to give everything they can.”

At the forefront of this new youthful and athletic identity, which the team has been trumpeting since media day, is the 6-foot-2, 19-year-old Henderson. As somebody who said his mission was to get fans to fall in love with this roster, Hankins must look at a player with the talent and charisma of Henderson as a godsend. The rookie point guard didn’t quite dazzle in the scrimmage like he did during his Summer League debut back in July. However, he showcased his infectious energy and bigger-than-the-room personality during his fearless karaoke rendition of Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair.”

Henderson’s smiling personality is the type ready-made for fan adoration and fame. Combine that quality with Henderson’s athletic gifts and hype as a high lottery pick, and he should be embraced by the city quickly, if not immediately. According to Rip City Clothing employee Hailey Reed, 16, who was working the register at Fan Fest, Henderson and Sharpe jerseys were the big sellers of the day, more evidence of the circle of sports life churning onward.

Sometime in the future, perhaps soon, Lillard’s No. 0 jersey will age into a timeless classic, scattered among the Moda crowd along with the Drexlers, Roys and Waltons, while the jerseys of new stars paint the bulk of the scenery. It’ll just take some time for that love with the new Blazers to develop.

Luckily for Hankins and the franchise, Blazers fans already seem to be more-than-willing partners.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what they put together,” said Frentress. “I think we got a good chance.”