Portland Trail Blazers
The team's mascot is Blaze the Trail Cat, a two-tone silver-colored mountain lion, which has been the team's official mascot since 2002. Prior to Blaze's debut, the Trail Blazers never had any official mascot. A popular unofficial mascot was the late Bill "The Beerman" Scott, a Seattle beer vendor-cheerleader who worked for numerous pro teams, including the Trail Blazers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Seattle Mariners. Scott worked for the Trail Blazers from 1981 through 1985.
Thunder (mascot)
The original "Thunder", JB Kobask, was loaned to the Denver Broncos by Sharon Magness-Blake of Magness Arabians after she received a phone call from team officials asking if she had a "white" horse. Thunder's debut as team mascot was on September 12, 1993, during the Broncos' victory over the San Diego Chargers. Angela Moore, his rider at the time, galloped him down the field after each Broncos touchdown. Thunder's mascot duties were expanded to include delivering the game ball to the referees at the start of each home game. Spectators were allowed to interact with Thunder and pet him prior to the game. Magness said, "Thunder is friendly, and Broncos fans think it's good luck for the opposing team to pet our mascot". He was particularly popular with children, appeared on T-shirts, and was referred to as the "second most popular Bronco" after former quarterback John Elway. Thunder appeared at Elway's 1999 retirement gala. When team uniforms were redesigned in 1997, Thunder was the inspiration to incorporate a horse-head profile as part of the logo on the team's helmets. During a February 4, 1997 press conference introducing the new logo, the team president and the art director for Nike, creators of the new design, described it as "a powerful horse with a fiery eye and mane."