Portland Trail Blazers

Report: NBA owner's yacht destroyed tons of coral reef in Cayman Islands

Published Jan. 29, 2016 11:34 a.m. ET

foxsports

Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen's 300-foot yacht has destroyed 14,000 square feet of protected coral reef in the Cayman Islands, according to NBC News.

Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, is one of the NBA's wealthiest owners, worth more than $18 billion, according to Forbes. As NBC points out, he lists coral reef research as one of his charity ventures.

More via NBC:

"When its crew was alerted by a diver that her anchor chain may have impacted coral in the area, the crew promptly, and on their own accord, relocated their position to ensure the reef was protected," the statement said.

It added that Vulcan and the ship's crew were "actively and cooperatively working with local authorities to determine the details of what happened."

The area allegedly affected is about the size of three NBA courts.

Allen purchased the Trail Blazers in 1988 and has become well-known for his philanthropic work in the past, most notably for the $100 million donation he made to Ebola research in 2014. He is also the owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders.