Terry Stotts, Trail Blazers Pay Tribute to Former Owner Paul Allen

The Portland Trail Blazers honored Paul Allen prior to Friday's season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team placed a red rose and a white Blazers hat on what would normally be Allen's courtside seat.

Blazers coach Terry Stotts spoke about Allen's legacy, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:

"I've been reading a lot of the tributes to Paul over the last few days and what an extraordinary man he was. Not only in sports, but in the world in general. I probably, when we honor him, will just be thinking about the impact on the lives that he's had around the world beyond basketball. Just, it was a phenomenal life and it's really hard to really wrap your mind around it."

The Blazers added a stitched band to their jerseys bearing Allen's initials, while point guard Damian Lillard wore specially designed shoes as a tribute as well:

Allen died Monday as the result of complications from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The 65-year-old had announced Oct. 1 his cancer had returned.

Allen purchased the Blazers in 1988. Two years later, Portland made the first of two trips to the NBA Finals over three seasons. During Allen's 30 years as owner, the franchise missed the playoffs on only seven occasions.

Stotts noted Allen's demeanor on the sidelines had changed over the years, describing him as "reminiscent of Mark Cuban" when seeing clips of Allen at Blazers games from decades ago.

In addition to the Blazers, Allen owned the Seattle Seahawks, which he bought in 1997.