Chris Dudley Announces Campaign for Governor of Oregon

OREGON — Today, former Portland Trailblazer, philanthropist, businessman and political outsider Chris Dudley announced his campaign for governor of Oregon. 

In a video officially announcing his candidacy, Dudley highlighted the serious problems that Oregon is facing. To bring real change to Oregon, Dudley emphasized the importance of solutions and vision, not Salem’s tired game of finger-pointing and fearmongering – because Oregon deserves better.

ABOUT CHRIS DUDLEY

Raised in a family of teachers, Chris took out student loans to attend Yale University and play basketball. After graduating, he pursued a career in the NBA. Chris went on to play 16 seasons in the NBA, the longest career of any Ivy League player. 

Chris was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 16 and was the first professional basketball player in the history of the league to play with the disease. One of Chris’s most enduring contributions has been his dedication to children living with Type I diabetes. For 30 years, he hosted a basketball camp in Oregon specifically for kids with Type I diabetes, using his own experience to inspire confidence, resilience, and belief that no diagnosis should limit their dreams.

Beyond the court, Chris was deeply involved in leadership and advocacy, serving on the NBA Players Association Executive Committee and the NBA Union Negotiating Committee. His commitment to community service earned widespread recognition, including the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1996, USA Today’s Most Caring Athlete Award in 1997, and the USA Freedom Corps Award for Community Service, presented by President George W. Bush in 2004.

Since retiring from the NBA in 2003, Dudley launched a successful career as a private sector businessman and investor. Dudley is a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and co-founded Filigree Advisors. He was Chairman of the Board and then CEO of Diabetomics, based in Beaverton. Dudley was the Republican nominee for Oregon governor in 2010 and lost by 22,000 votes, the closest gubernatorial race in Oregon’s history.

For the past five years, Dudley and Marshall Glickman, son of Harry Glickman, the founder of the Portland Trail Blazers, have been working with a team to keep the Blazers in Portland. 

Chris has been married to his wife Chris Love, a 5th generation Oregonian, for 28 years and is the father of three children. Together, they reside in Sisters.  

Learn more about Dudley’s campaign here. 

TRANSCRIPT: 

I love Oregon, and even though we have some serious problems, there are solutions, and I believe our best days are ahead of us. 

However, in order to solve these challenges, the empty promises, the name calling, finger pointing and fear mongering that has solved nothing must stop. 

You deserve better. 

We are a state with a beautiful, diverse landscape and diverse people. I believe it's one of the things that makes it so special. 

I have traveled around the state and met with people who've shared a variety of opinions, stories and challenges.

Yet what I found to be most encouraging is why I'm standing here today. What they all have in common is a love of our great state and a desire for these same things: quality education, safety, affordability and a good job. These are achievable. There are real solutions, and I have a plan. 

That's why I'm asking you today to stand up for Oregon and stand with me as I announce my candidacy for Governor of our great state. Together, we can create a better Oregon for all.