Tom Dundon Does Care What You Think of Him

For nearly a decade that he's been involved in the world of professional sports, there's one thing about Tom Dundon that's been accepted as a universal truth: he doesn't care if you hate him.

Years ago, Dundon said of the early hits he took owning the Carolina Hurricanes that he'd "rather have more success with more criticism than be irrelevant."

At his introductory press conference at the beginning of April after buying the Trail Blazers, he said that he wasn't motivated by being liked: "In the list of things I care about, it's lower."

He also said, in response to a question about speculation that he was planning to move the team: "You’re welcome to write what you want because if we get attention for the Portland Trail Blazers, that’s good and I appreciate it."

When your fortune comes from subprime auto lending, you can only be but so worried about optics.

However, six weeks into his ownership of a team in a much higher-profile league that comes with a lot more scrutiny, the signs are starting to be there that Dundon cares more about his perception than he lets on.

On Friday, Dundon gave his first longform interview since the sale closed, appearing on an episode of Game Over. This is a Ringer podcast cohosted by sports media personality Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, LeBron James' longtime agent and the CEO of Klutch Sports Group.