Blazers pay heart-wrenching tribute to fallen ticket holder

In the most somber moment of the NBA season, the Portland Trail Blazers honored Sandra Zickefoose — the 67-year-old woman who collapsed in the stands of a game and later died at a nearby hospital — donning “Sandy” t-shirts during warmups before Sunday’s 116-100 win over the Denver Nuggets.

The efforts of emergency medical personnel could not revive Zickefoose after she lost consciousness during the fourth quarter of Portland’s 108-87 victory against the Dallas mavericks at the Moda Center on Thursday. She and her husband Michael Cowan were Blazers season ticket-holders since 2011, per The Oregonian.

On Sunday, in their first game back in Portland since the tragedy, everyone in the Blazers organization — players, coaches and other team personnel — wore custom white t-shirts with “Sandy” written in red lettering above the team logo for their pregame shootaround. The team also observed a moment of silence prior to tipoff and — in a truly heart-wrenching scene — placed a single red rose in Zickefoose’s empty seat.

“I think it’s a small gesture,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said of the t-shirts. “Obviously, when someone loses their life, there’s a lot of sadness and grief. I think it’s just a way for us to show the family that we are thinking of her and hoping that they’re doing well.” 

Prior to the game, Blazers guard Wesley Matthews told The Oregonian the emotions would give Portland an added Boost against Denver, and he responded with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists in the win. We can only hope Zickefoose has even better seats above to watch her Blazers make another playoff run.

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach