Chris Dudley has a deep affection and commitment to Oregon. After traveling all over the country, Oregon’s way of life and natural beauty attracted Chris to Oregon and he decided to make it his home. Chris and his wife Chris, a 5th generation Oregonian, are raising their three children, Charles, Emma, and Sam in Lake Oswego.

Born in 1965, Chris’ father was a professor and a minister, his mother a teacher. He was raised with an intense understanding of the importance of education and the opportunities it will open. At times his family struggled to make ends meet but Chris and his sister Natasha focused on their studies, working hard, and helping out their parents any way they could.

At the age of 16, Chris was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Struggling with the constraints of the disease, Chris decided that he would do what it took to overcome the difficulties and defy the odds. He learned to truly appreciate the value of working harder than the rest and how far that could get you. After living with the disease for 28 years, he is now a leader in the effort to find a cure and has inspired countless others to live their lives to the fullest.

In 1994, Chris founded The Dudley Foundation which is dedicated to kids with diabetes, and provides educational programs, advocacy, and supports diabetes research. Through the foundation, Chris was able to establish the only basketball camp in the country for children with diabetes right here in Oregon. His continued leadership did not go unnoticed; in 2005 and 2006 Chris addressed the United States Senate committees on the topics of diabetes funding and research. For his generosity and community action, Chris has been recognized nationally with many awards including, the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, the USA Today’s Most Caring Athlete Award, and the Freedom Corp Award.

Chris excelled at Yale University where he graduated with degrees in Economics and Political Science in 1987. While playing basketball at Yale, Chris decided to pursue a career in the NBA even though no other professional basketball player in the history of the league had played while dealing with diabetes.

Once again defying the critics, Chris played for a total of 16 seasons in the NBA, including six seasons with our Trailblazers. During his playing days, Chris was a known leader in the league, not only representing the players association as the executive treasurer and participating on the negotiating committee, but more importantly was considered a role model for his extensive charity work. Chris retired from basketball in 2003.

Following a successful career in the NBA, Chris was a senior vice president at M Financial and is now a partner in a small financial company in Oregon. Chris and his family are active members of their community serving on countless charitable boards and participating in a wide range of activities everything from coaching youth sports to their work raising funds for the women’s health department at Oregon Health & Science University.