Portland Just Told Its Fans No Free T-Shirts During Playoffs and the Money Questions Are Getting Loud
Here's the thing that's got Portland buzzing: the Trail Blazers are skipping the T-shirt giveaways for Games 3 and 4 against San Antonio at the Moda Center this week. You know, those iconic fan shirts that show up at basically every playoff game across the league? Yeah, not happening. Blazers president Dewayne Hankins confirmed it straight up.
This isn't some random decision. It's the latest move drawing serious attention since Tom Dunod, a Texas billionaire who also owns the Carolina Hurricanes, bought the Blazers for $4.25 billion. Co-owner Sheel Tyle posted on X that "we are doing something else," but that's all we got. No details. No explanation. Just radio silence after that.
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The missing T-shirts are only the beginning. The Blazers also won't send their two-way players,Caleb Love, Chris Youngblood, and Jayson Kent,to road playoff games. These guys are ineligible to play in the postseason anyway, but every other team in the seven other playoff teams still traveled with theirs. Love played in 49 games this season, averaging 20 minutes with 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. The Blazers made the call to leave them home and save the money.
It gets weirder off the court too. Sports Illustrated reported that Blazers staff were spotted checking out of hotel rooms early to dodge late checkout fees. This team is penny-pinching at every level right now.
Chaos on the Bench Too
The Blazers have been running without stability on the sidelines since Chauncey Billups' arrest in October 2025 tied to illegal sports betting and rigged poker games. Billups has been on unpaid administrative leave ever since. The team brought in former Spurs player Tiago Splitter to coach, trying to keep things together while everything else is in flux.
Game 3 tips off Friday at the Moda Center. If Portland manages to win, Game 4 is Sunday. Fair warning: bring your own shirt.
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