The top women's soccer league in the U.S., the NWSL, features a rivalry between the Seattle Reign and Portland Thorns.
The first meeting between the Blazers and Sonics occurred on September 30, 1970, in a pre-season exhibition game held at the W. F. West High School gymnasium in Chehalis, Washington, midway between Portland and Seattle.
[6] The teams were immediately projected to be rivals, owing to the close proximity and existing rivalry between the Pacific Northwest cities.
[3][4] Both cities gained Major League Soccer teams in the years since the Sonics left, with the Sounders beginning play in 2009 and the Timbers in 2011.
[8] The Blazers eliminated the Thunder from the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs on a Game 5, 37-foot (11 m) buzzer beater 3 by Damian Lillard.
"[10] On October 3, 2022, the Blazers played in a "Rain City Showcase" preseason game versus the Los Angeles Clippers at the newly renovated Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.