Robert Williams III has agreed to a contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers that will keep him with the team through the 2028-29 season, the team announced Tuesday.
Williams, 28, averaged 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game this season, becoming a key contributor off the bench for Portland, which made the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.
The 6-foot-10 center averaged 17.1 minutes a game in 59 games, but he did not play in back-to-back games for the Blazers after struggling with knee injuries for the previous two seasons.
“Rob has proven to be one of the league’s most impactful defenders, bringing rim protection, rebounding and offensive feel and versatility to our frontcourt,” Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said in a statement released by the team. “His veteran presence off the court has helped establish a culture of tenacity, grit, and accountability with our young guys, and we are excited to have him continue to represent Rip City.”
It was the second move the Blazers made in as many days. On Monday, the team traded forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Ja Morant.
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FILE - Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) signals to teammates during the second half in Game 3 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs in Portland, Ore, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane,File)
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Republicans will hold their first-ever national convention ahead of November's midterm elections, an unusual event aimed at boosting turnout in races that will decide whether the party maintains control of Congress.
The convention will be held in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10.
Although both major parties traditionally hold blockbuster conventions during presidential campaigns, Trump has long floated the idea of a similar gathering this year to focus voters' attention on a sprawling collection of House and Senate races.
If Democrats regain control of either chamber, they will be empowered to block Trump’s agenda and launch investigations into his administration for the final two years of his term.
Republicans have only slim majorities in Congress, and the party in power normally loses ground in the midterms. And without Trump on the ballot, Republican leaders worry that it could be hard to galvanize their voters.
Trump hopes the convention would help change that dynamic, and he’s been talking about it since last year. He floated in a social media post that Republicans would use the event “to show the great things we have done since the Presidential Election of 2024.”
“We will also have lots of Great Entertainment — It will be a RALLY like none other!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the convention details.
The Democratic National Committee considered hosting a similar midterm convention but ultimately rejected the idea. An expensive soiree could have strained the DNC’s finances, which are struggling with lackluster fundraising and millions in debt.
Democrats have said the GOP convention will be a chance for them to tie Republican House and Senate candidates to Trump, whose approval rating is underwater.
Locating the convention in Texas places a spotlight on the state’s Senate race, which pits Democratic nominee James Talarico against Republican nominee Ken Paxton.
Paxton is the state attorney general who, with Trump’s backing, defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a primary earlier this year. Republican Senate leaders fear that Paxton’s history of scandals — including an extramarital affair, an impeachment and a securities fraud case that did not lead to a conviction — could undermine his candidacy and turn a winnable race into a drain on party resources.
It also highlights the aftereffects of Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push that began in Texas, an effort to secure more seats for Republicans in this fall’s elections.
The Republican National Committee began laying the groundwork earlier this year, voting at its winter meeting in January to make such an event possible by amending procedures centered around quadrennial presidential nominating conventions.
Democrats considered holding a similar gathering ahead of the midterms but tabled the idea. However, the party did hold such conferences in the 1970s and 1980s.
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP. Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper contributed.
President Donald Trump speaks before signing a presidential memo to the EPA on pollution control in vehicles, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
