It doesn't take much to get a fleeting glimpse of fame these days and, for one Portland man, that glimpse came during the Trail Blazers opening night victory over the Utah Jazz.

As the TNT broadcast panned across the cheering crowd, it paused for a moment on a mustachioed man, with a tan notable for its depth in the cloudy confines of Portland, emphatically clapping in a pinkish blazer.

It easily could have escaped the attention of a casual viewer, but it did not escape the attention of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and the rest of the NBA on TNT, who took some time aside after the game to make some jokes at the expense of the man, his tan and his mustache, dubbing him "Really Tan Portland Ken."

There must be a lot of sun in Portland ☀️😂 https://t.co/qjhoUeaQhF — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 26, 2016

"Really Tan Portland Ken" is actually Ron Sloy, who lives in the west hills and runs a financial advising firm in Portland. There was some irony in the broadcaster's choice to lampoon him, Sloy told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

"It's a very small world," Sloy said. "I've actually met Kenny, Shaq and Charles."

Ron Sloy, also known by TNT broadcasters as ""Really Tan Portland Ken."

It turns out, Sloy was previously neighbors with the late Jerome Kersey. One afternoon while Sloy was out washing his car, Kersey chatted him up and offered him tickets to a game, which he eagerly accepted. After the game, the men and their wives went out for dinner at a jazz club and, over the next three decades, Kersey and Sloy would become close friends.

After Kersey died from a blood clot in 2015, Sloy erected a huge light display on the hillside below his home that read "JK25" to honor the Blazers great.

Through his friendship with Kersey, Sloy often found himself rubbing elbows with NBA players. He met Kenny Smith, who he described as a "wonderful guy" while visiting a player for the Denver Nuggets. He met Shaq while Kersey played for the Lakers and even went out with him socially. During the NBA lockout in the late 90s, Sloy played golf with Barkley in Las Vegas and shared a dinner with him.

"All three guys are class acts," Sloy said. "I was surprised that Shaq didn't recognize me."

As for the ribbing, Sloy took it all in stride and even commended Barkley on questioning the source of his amber hue.

"Charles is absolutely right, the tan doesn't come from Portland," Sloy said. "I just returned from Palm Desert to attend the season opener."

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048