Portland Trail Blazer Jusuf Nurkic Loves the Billboard Where Fans Say They Love Him

It’s located near the Moda Center and reads “We Love You Jusuf Nurkic” in both English and Bosnian.

Trail Blazers face the Detroit Pistons on March 23, 2019 at the Moda Center. Bruce Ely / Trail Blazers
By Elise Herron

Fans of the injured Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic today put up a billboard expressing the city's love for the Bosnian athlete.

The billboard, which is located near the Moda Center, reads "We Love You Jusuf Nurkic," in both English and Bosnian. This afternoon in a tweet, Nurkic responded to the display succinctly, writing: "Love."

The billboard is slated to stay up at the corner of Northeast Weidler St. and Victoria Ave. until May 5, The Oregonian reports. It will then move to Northeast Grand Ave. and Everett St., where it will stay up from May 13 to 26.

The sign is bankrolled by a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign, which was launched by Blazers fan Al Nelson the day after Nurkic broke his leg during a game. Nelson hoped to raise $8,000, but in six days fans donated $11,582.

Nelson tells WW that the billboard cost $10,000 to print and put up, and that the extra $1,100 went to the Portland Boys and Girls Club.

But the billboard isn't the only token of Portland's appreciation headed Nurk's way. Willamette Week is sending him weed. (We're still doing this. It's taking a while. Hang in there, big man.)

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