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Case file s507 · Music and sport · 2018
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2018
Paul Allen: Paul G. Allen (cropped)
Paul Allen. Miles Harris. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Died
15 October 2018
Place
Seattle, Washington, USA
Field
tech (Microsoft) and sport · Business and finance on the timeline
Legal tradition
US common law (Washington trusts) · Common law
Historical event
the break-up of the Microsoft co-founder's holdings
Member of
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Engineering (Wikidata)
Music and sportGiven awayNowNorth AmericaUnited States

Paul Allen's will ordered his teams sold, and his sister sold the Trail Blazers for about $4 billion

Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft and owned the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers. He never married and had no children. His will required that his teams eventually be sold and the proceeds go to philanthropy. His sister, Jody Allen, became executor, trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust and chair of both teams. In 2022 Christie's sold his art collection for more than $1.5 billion†. In August 2025 the estate reached a tentative deal to sell the Trail Blazers to a group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, and signed a formal agreement in September 2025. ESPN reported the price at $4 billion; Sportico reported a blended valuation of about $4.25 billion. The NBA approved the sale. In February 2026, about two weeks after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, the estate began the process of selling the Seahawks. No buyer had been reported in the sources reviewed†.

What the law took from it

A founder with no children can order assets sold, but someone has to run them for years until the sale.

Sources
  1. Internet ArchiveGovernment record
  2. klcc.orgPress
  3. sportico.comPress
  4. sports.mynorthwest.comPress

Cite as: celebrity.estate, “Paul Allen's will ordered his teams sold, and his sister sold the Trail Blazers for about $4 billion,” story s507, https://www.celebrity.estate/paul-allen-2018, updated 30 October 2026.

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Where this case sits

Music and sportGiven awayNowNorth AmericaCommon lawUnited States