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July 7, 2021
S PORTS
Blazers ‘Stand by’ Billups Hire
New coach introduced amid criticism
(AP) — The Portland Trail
Blazers went into damage-control
mode while introducing Chaunc-
ey Billups as their new coach last
week, amid questions about how
they selected him over more expe-
rienced candidates and how sexu-
al assault allegations were lodged
against him nearly a quarter-cen-
tury ago.
Billups never faced charges
related to those allegations that
came out in 1997 and settled
out of court with the accuser
three years later. He addressed
that chapter Tuesday, though
when he was asked to elaborate
on some of those comments the
Trail Blazers refused to let him
answer.
Neil Olshey, the team’s presi-
dent of basketball operations, said
the team hired an independent firm
to look into the sexual assault alle-
gations and determined that noth-
ing nonconsensual had occurred.
“We stand by Chauncey, every-
one in the organization, and be-
lieve he’s the right choice to be our
head coach, and the right choice to
be the kind of ambassador in the
Portland community everybody
here has become accustomed to,”
Olshey said.
Billups, a five-time NBA All-
Star over a 17-year playing career,
has never been a head coach. He
has served as an assistant with the
Los Angeles Clippers for the past
season.
The 44-year-old Billups spoke
broadly about the concerns from
the 1997 allegations, saying
“there’s not a day that goes by” in
which he doesn’t think about the
impact any decision can have on
someone’s life.
“I learned at a very young age
— as a player, and not only a play-
er but a young man, a young adult
— that every decision, has con-
sequences,” Billups said. “And
that’s led to some really, really
healthy, but tough conversations
that I’ve had to have with my
wife, who was my girlfriend at the
time in 1997, and my daughters
about what actually happened, and
about what they may have to read
about me in the news and then the
media.”
When a reporter asked Billups
to elaborate, a moderator said the
question had already been an-
swered and called on another re-
porter.
The Blazers settled on Billups
after an interview process where
several people -- San Antonio
Spurs assistant Becky Hammon
among them -- were talked to
about the job. Others known to
have been on Portland’s list were
Brooklyn assistant Mike D’Anto-
ni and Los Angeles Lakers assis-
tant Jason Kidd, who withdrew his
name from consideration.
Over the course of his career,
Billups played for Boston, To-
ronto, Denver, Minnesota, De-
troit, New York and the Clippers.
Known as “Mr. Big Shot,” he was Chauncey Billups talks to media Tuesday after being announced as
MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals af- the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers at the team’s practice
ter leading the Pistons to a title.
facility in Tualatin. (AP photo)
Portland Native to
Coach Celtics
Former Portland native and
Portland State University basket-
ball star Ime Udoka has become
the first PSU player ever to be
named Head Coach in the NBA,
named last week to coach the Bos-
ton Celtics.
Udoka, an alum of Portland’s
Jefferson High School, end-
ed up playing seven seasons in
the NBA. He started 75 games
for the Portland Trailblazers in
2006-07.
The 43-year old was an assis-
tant coach for seven seasons with
the San Antonio Spurs, an assis-
tant with the Philadelphia 76ers
for one year, and this past season
with the Brooklyn Nets. He won
an NBA Championship as an as-
sistant with the Spurs in 2013-14.
Udoka was also an assistant for
the 2018 USA Basketball Men’s
National Team.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the
historic Celtics franchise,” said
Udoka. “I look forward to getting
started right away.”
Ime Udoka reacts during an NBA basketball game back in 2015 while
serving as the assistant coach for the San Anonio Spurs. (AP file photo)