Blazers Mascot Panned in Leaguewide Rankings

The Portland Trail Blazers finished 22nd in the NBA during the 2024-25 season with a 36-46 record. The standings may have been eerily appropriate according to a USA Today/For the Win ranking of NBA Mascots. Writer Bryan Kalbrosky listed all the teams based on their mascot vibes, with Portland falling into 22nd place, the exact ranking their record would indicate.

Kalbrosky cited both Blaze the Trail Cat and Douglas Fur belonging to the Blazers. He says:

I have no problem with Blaze The Trail Cat except for the fact that he is not very memorable. In fact, the Trail Blazers probably recognized that because a couple years ago, they decided to add a new mascot into the rotation.

Douglas Fur, pictured above handing out with comedian Ian Karmel, is far from forgettable. I’d say that this guy solved one problem but created a new one. Douglas, who is named after the Douglas Fir tree popular to the Pacific Northwest, is weird. But that’s part of the city’s identity, right? He knows his role: Keep Portland Weird.

At least he got the slogan right.

Rocky from the Denver Nuggets ranked first on Kalbrosky’s list. The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, who have no mascot at all, came in 26th and 27th, respectively. The three mascots ranking below the dreaded Lakers-Knicks Line were Lucky the Leprechaun from the Boston Celtics, Champ and Mavs Man from the Dallas Mavericks, and Pierre T. Pelican and the dreaded King Cake Baby from the New Orleans Pelicans.