PORTLAND — A couple months ago, after he dropped $85 on his favorite NBA player’s signature shoe, Dustin Kendall made a promise to his fiancee: Those red D Lillard 1s won’t leave their box until Aug. 20.
“I’m not allowed to wear them until the wedding,” said Kendall, 40, a claims processor for a health insurance company in Portland.
It is an arrangement that, even among the most ardent fan bases, might seem extreme. But this is “Rip City,” where devotion to the hometown Trail Blazers is more birthright than choice. The metro area’s collective mood shifts with every win, loss, draft pick or trade.