News Culture
NBA’s Blazers hire firm to look at workplace environment concerns

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers have hired an outside firm to investigate workplace environment concerns.

Reports of the investigation surfaced Friday night. Both The Athletic and Yahoo Sports reported the probe stemmed from allegations of workplace misconduct involving Neil Olshey, the president of basketball operations and general manager for the organization.

The Blazers released a statement Saturday confirming the investigation. It did not name Olshey.

“The Portland Trail Blazers organization was recently notified of concerns around workplace environment by non-player personnel at the practice facility. In response, we immediately engaged O’Melveny & Myers, an outside firm with significant expertise in this area, to conduct a full, fair and independent review into these concerns and will take appropriate action based on its outcome,” the team statement said.

The statement said the Blazers could not comment further on the matter.

The team hosted the Lakers on Saturday night. Coach Chauncey Billups, who is in his first year with the team, said in pregame comments that he’s never witnessed any misconduct and that the allegations caught many people off guard.

“There’s not much I can talk about, about it. No details, anything like that. We’re in a brutal stretch of games right now. I’ve got a lot of other things that I need to be worried about. It’s something that I actually can’t control,” Billups said. “I’ve got things that I’d like to control that I’m trying to focus in on.”

Olshey has been general manager of the Blazers since 2012.