The London Lions will become the first British basketball club to face an NBA team when they meet the Portland Trail Blazers in preseason action on October 12 at the Moda Center.
The matchup will tip off at 1:00 PM local time in Portland and 9:00 PM BST, giving the Lions a historic opportunity to compete against NBA opposition on an official preseason schedule.
The game will also carry a personal connection for London head coach Tautvydas Sabonis. His father, Arvydas Sabonis, spent seven seasons with Portland from 1995 to 2003 and became one of the most respected players in franchise history.
Arvydas Sabonis averaged 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 470 games with the Trail Blazers, earning an All-Rookie Second Team selection in 1996 and helping Portland reach the playoffs in each of his seven seasons with the team.
The Lions enter the matchup as the leading club in British basketball, while Portland arrives after an offseason focused on building a playoff-caliber roster. The Trail Blazers finished the 2025-26 regular season with a 42-40 record, earning the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference before falling to the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the first round.
Portland’s roster was led last season by All-Star forward Deni Avdija, who averaged 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 66 games. Shaedon Sharpe also provided significant scoring production, averaging 20.8 points in 50 appearances.
The Trail Blazers also featured strong interior production from rookie center Donovan Clingan, who averaged 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while starting all 77 games he played. Robert Williams III added defensive stability, averaging 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 59 games.
Portland entered the 2026 offseason looking to accelerate its championship timeline. The franchise acquired All-Star guard Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies in a major trade, sending Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis. The move created a deep guard rotation featuring Morant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson.
The Trail Blazers also changed leadership by hiring Micah Nori as head coach after Tiago Splitter left to take over the Chicago Bulls. Portland retained Williams with a three-year, $44 million contract and added frontcourt depth with Branden Carlson and Jeremy Sochan.
