The Blazers last played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum (pictured here in '93) in '09 to begin their 40th seasonNBAE/getty images
The Trail Blazers will play their 50th season during the '19-20 campaign, and the team will begin a season-long celebration by playing a preseason game at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, "which served at the team's home base for 25 years," according to Matthew Singer of WILLAMETTE WEEK. The Oct. 7 game will be against the Nuggets. The Blazers last played in the building in '09 to "kick off their 40th anniversary season." The team will have "commemorative merchandise" and a "series of games honoring various players and coaches from throughout Blazers' history" as part of the season-long celebration. There also will be an "exclusive wine made in collaboration with Newberg's Adelsheim Vineyard" (WWEEK.com, 2/6).
STATE OF AFFAIRS: Oregon state Rep. E. Werner Reschke "introduced legislation on Monday urging the NBA franchise to drop Portland from its name and adopt Oregon to better reflect the team’s connection to the entire state." Portland has been part of the team's name since it joined the NBA, and the idea was "mostly met with groans and forehead slaps on social media (Portland OREGONIAN, 2/5).
