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Honorable Mention, a new “elevated sports lounge” opening Friday beneath the Benson Hotel, announced itself in December with a grainy, black-and-white Instagram video featuring historic Black athletes.
The post was vague on details. But the video’s narrator — and the beloved local figure who shared the post to his own social media account — was unmistakable: Damian Lillard, the once and future Trail Blazer great.
A reporter with The Oregonian/OregonLive toured the new downtown Portland bar built inside the former London Grill on Wednesday as TVs played college basketball and footage from the 2023 World Baseball classic. All around, workers put the finishing touches on the space’s decor.
Lillard is a part owner of the bar, The Oregonian/OregonLive can exclusively report.
Private friends and family events were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday evenings, with a grand opening set for Friday, according to Benson Hotel General Manager Ryan Kunzer. A speakeasy will open in a room hidden at the back of the bar in the coming weeks or months.
According to Adidas marketing rep and Honorable Mention co-owner JR Duperrier, partners in the project include Lillard; Moda Health President Dr. William Johnson; David Lucas, son of former Trail Blazer All Star Maurice Lucas; and Mark Byrum of the Urban Restaurant Group, which is in charge of food and beverage.
The bar’s name does references pioneering Black athletes from Ivy League schools, Duperrier said. Each month, the bar will feature original pieces from local Black artists inspired by those athletes, starting with Tristan Kwame Irving’s portrait of Fritz Pollard, the former Brown University football player who went on to become the first Black head coach in the National Football League.
www.oregonlive.com
The post was vague on details. But the video’s narrator — and the beloved local figure who shared the post to his own social media account — was unmistakable: Damian Lillard, the once and future Trail Blazer great.
A reporter with The Oregonian/OregonLive toured the new downtown Portland bar built inside the former London Grill on Wednesday as TVs played college basketball and footage from the 2023 World Baseball classic. All around, workers put the finishing touches on the space’s decor.
Lillard is a part owner of the bar, The Oregonian/OregonLive can exclusively report.
Private friends and family events were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday evenings, with a grand opening set for Friday, according to Benson Hotel General Manager Ryan Kunzer. A speakeasy will open in a room hidden at the back of the bar in the coming weeks or months.
According to Adidas marketing rep and Honorable Mention co-owner JR Duperrier, partners in the project include Lillard; Moda Health President Dr. William Johnson; David Lucas, son of former Trail Blazer All Star Maurice Lucas; and Mark Byrum of the Urban Restaurant Group, which is in charge of food and beverage.
The bar’s name does references pioneering Black athletes from Ivy League schools, Duperrier said. Each month, the bar will feature original pieces from local Black artists inspired by those athletes, starting with Tristan Kwame Irving’s portrait of Fritz Pollard, the former Brown University football player who went on to become the first Black head coach in the National Football League.
Wait, is Damian Lillard behind this new Portland sports bar?
Honorable Mention is opening soon beneath the Benson Hotel.
) worked at the Benson Hotel for many many years. She retired from there at around age 65.
