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Jody Allen took control of both franchises
after her brother Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of
Microsoft, died in 2018, leading to speculation that she would
put the teams up for sale.
"As chair of both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle
Seahawks, my long-term focus is building championship teams that
our communities are proud of," Allen said in a statement.
"Like my brother Paul, I trust and expect our leaders and
coaches to build winning teams that deliver results on and off
the court and field.
"As we've stated before, neither of the teams is for sale and
there are no sales discussions happening."
Allen added that she will eventually direct her brother's wealth
to philanthropic causes - as he said he wanted - but added that
it could take 10 to 20 years to wind down the estate given its
size and complexity.
"There is no pre-ordained timeline by which the teams must be
sold," she said.
"Until then my focus - and that of our teams - is on winning."
The Blazers, who last won a championship in 1977, were
considered the more likely of the two franchises to be sold and
potentially moved out of the Pacific Northwest city, leading to
anxiety among the team's loyal fanbase.
The equally beloved Seahawks' lone Super Bowl victory came in
2014.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby
Davis)
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