The Moda Center will rock a new court design this upcoming 2019-20 season when the Portland Trail Blazers celebrate their golden anniversary.
The Blazers' Twitter account unveiled the fresh look with a special nod to their 50th year as a franchise:
#RipCity turns 50 pic.twitter.com/1UurHCRZJi
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 13, 2019
Per Blazers.com, the court has a throwback feel that gives a tribute to “all five decades of the team's existence.” There are changes to the colors and the fonts on the baselines and sidelines. Likewise, the team explicitly pays tribute to its inaugural campaign with a “Rip City est. 1970” marking on the sidelines.
While the star backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ. McCollum is still intact, Portland made some pretty significant changes to its supporting cast during free agency. The Blazers' key additions include Hassan Whiteside, Kent Bazemore, Mario Hezonja, and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol.
However, the Blazers also lost some key pieces. They lost the entire starting frontcourt they rolled with during their 2019 postseason run to the Western Conference Finals. Al-Farouq Aminu went to Orlando, while Enes Kanter, who filled in nicely for injured starting center Jusuf Nurkic, signed with Boston. Likewise, backup guard Seth Curry made his way back to the Dallas Mavericks. Moreover, Maurice Harkless, Evan Turner, and Meyers Leonard were traded during the summer.
The Blazers will surely have their work cut out for them as the reshuffling that occurred during free agency has made the Western Conference deeper than ever. Nevertheless, the race is its most wide open in five years.
Perhaps celebrating their golden anniversary can serve as motivation for their upcoming 2019-20 campaign.
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