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Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, addressing backlash to hiring, says incident in 1997 'shaped my life'; follow-up question cut off by presser moderator

The Portland Trail Blazers formally introduced Chauncey Billups as the team's new head coach on Tuesday, with almost all 30 minutes of his news conference focused around the controversial background and details of his hiring, his relationship with star point guard Damian Lillard and his vision to elevate the Blazers into a title contender.

Billups won the job over other finalists Becky Hammon and Mike D'Antoni, but after details of a 1997 rape allegation resurfaced last week, the Blazers were met with instant backlash. General manager Neil Olshey said Tuesday that an independent investigation gave the organization confidence in moving forward with Billups as coach.