Blazers host Nike N7 Native American Heritage Celebration with halftime N7 scrimmage on Nov. 7

The Story

The Portland Trail Blazers’ annual Native American Heritage Celebration, presented by Nike N7, is set for Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Moda Center as they face the San Antonio Spurs, with the night designed to highlight Native American and Indigenous culture through performances and community activations.

A centrepiece of the event will be an N7 halftime scrimmage featuring student-athletes from across Oregon, with participants drawn from all nine federally recognized Tribes in the state. Trail Blazers social impact leader Michelle Jalali said the team is “excited to see talented student-athletes from across Oregon take the court,” adding thanks to Nike N7 for making the halftime scrimmage possible.

Nike said N7 is its commitment to uplifting Native and Indigenous athletes, and noted it partnered with the Trail Blazers and tribal communities across Oregon last May for the inaugural Oregon Native American All-Star Series. The release of the N7 collection is tied to Native American Heritage Month and the opening of applications for the N7 Fund, through which Nike invests in nonprofit organizations supporting Indigenous communities across North America and youth sport.

The celebration will include the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) as the game’s community partner. The organization works on behalf of Native fish and Native people in the Columbia River Basin to protect reserved treaty rights and ensure a unified voice in fishery resource management. Fans can support CRITFC by entering the 5050 Raffle at trailblazers5050.com or bidding on autographed items in an online silent auction, with proceeds benefiting CRITFC.

Event programming begins before tip-off, including DJ Gila Suspectum at Dr. Jack’s and beats from DJ Phz1 inside the Moda Center. Starting at 6:15 p.m., the Pregame Parade presented by Polar Beverages will bring performers to the concourse, followed by a pregame intertribal community collaborative performance on the court.

The national anthem will be performed on guitar by 12-year-old Nova McNair, a member of the Klamath Tribes, with an honor guard representing the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla Tribes. During halftime, DJ FreshBoogie, described as being from the Navajo Nation and a former six-time USA boxing champion and inspiration for the movie Black Cloud, will perform.

On the concourse, fans can learn about CRITFC’s partnership with the Oregon Zoo and about We R Native, a project of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and a comprehensive health resource for Native youth. The team also said the 100 Level concourse will feature a Blazers-inspired traditional canoe paddle made by Shirod Younker (Coquille, Coos, Umpqua), with additional community leader posters and photo opportunities throughout the venue.

Fans can also take home items connected to the game, including a custom hat featuring the Native American Heritage game patch starting at $29 at Rip City Clothing’s Custom Lab, and a commemorative Native American Heritage Game-Day Collector’s Pin for $15. To learn more, the Trail Blazers directed fans to trailblazers.com/nahm.