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@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 28, 2026, 4:31 PM

There are 22 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown. Four players were selected by the Blazers with the 22nd pick, with all four wearing the Red and Black uniform, with one wearing in Game 6 of the 1977 NBA Finals

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The first player the Blazers drafted from the Univ. of Dayton, Johnny Davis proved to be just the player Portland needed in the playoff run to the 1977 NBA Title. In a backup role his rookie season, the 6’-1” guard averaged 8 points in the regular season, but jumped to 13 points when he replaced an injured Dave Twardzik in the starting lineup, helping the Blazers go 9-2 in the playoffs.

Davis played two seasons in Portland before he was traded to the Indiana Pacers, along with the Blazers pick in the 1978 NBA Draft, for the first pick. Davis played 10 seasons in the NBA, averaging 13 points and 4.5 assists in 750 games, but soon joined the NBA coaching ranks after retiring. Davis spent 24 seasons with various teams as an assistant, including Portland from 1994-96. He was a head coach with Philadelphia, Orlando, and Memphis, and finished with a 73-146 record.

Selected with the pick acquired in a trade for Kiki Vandeweghe, Byron Irvin of Missouri was the shooting guard the Blazers were looking for to back up All-Star Clyde Drexler. Instead the 6’-5” guard split the backup role with fellow rookie Drazen Petrovic, averaging 5.6 points in 50 games. Irvin was packaged in a deal to the Sacramento Kings following his rookie season for Danny Ainge, but was dealt a month later to the Washington Bullets. Irvin played three years in the NBA, spent some time playing overseas, but moved to the business side of the NBA, having become an agent to many NBA players since 2000.

The third Spaniard selected by the Blazers, Victor Claver had been playing with Valencia for three years before being drafted in the 2009 NBA Draft. Claver played three more years with Valencia before joining the Blazers in 2012, after helping Spain win the Silver Medal in the Olympics. Claver played three seasons in Portland but went back overseas to continue playing, first in Russia before returning to Spain. Claver retired in 2024, after being on teams that won three Spanish Titles and two EuroCup Titles.

Elliot Williams of Memphis was the Blazers selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, but was sidelined prior to the Summer League games with a minor knee injury. Cleared to play in the preseason, Williams rookie season came to a close after having surgery to repair a dislocated right patella, followed by the same procedure on his left knee.

After making his professional debut in late 2011, and playing in 24 games, the 6’-5” shooting guard suffered a dislocated shoulder, shelving him for the rest of the 2011/12 season. Williams was preparing himself for what should have been his third season, but instead suffered an Achilles injury, missing the entire 2012/13 season. Williams was released after the season concluded.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 27, 2026, 10:52 PM

September 27, 2023 - The Blazers traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Lillard, the Blazers All-time leader in scoring with 19,376 points, had requested to be traded to the Miami Heat on July 1, but instead will join two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on a Bucks team that won 58 games in the 2022/23 season.

The Blazers also traded Keon Johnson, Nassir Little and Jusuf Nurkić to the Phoenix Suns, who in-turn, traded Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara back to Portland.

The Blazers also received Jrue Holiday from Milwaukee, as well as three future picks for the rights to Lillard.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 27, 2026, 10:47 PM

September 27, 1994 - Clyde Drexler is not against a possible trade to the Miami Heat, saying, "After being in Portland for so long, it's not like I want to go, but it might be best for everybody."

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The Blazers All-Time leading scorer with 17,136 points, who is entering his 12th season with Portland, has been outspoken regarding certain moves the organization has done in the off-season. "Geoff Petrie, Rick Adelman, Wayne Cooper, Mike Shimensky. We've let some good people go. It doesn't sit well with me."

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 27, 2026, 3:55 PM

There are 23 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown.

Four players were selected by the Blazers with the 23rd pick, would wear the Red and Black uniform, with one player having his number retired

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The first High School player taken by the Blazers since Jermaine O’Neal in 1996, Travis Outlaw played only 8 games his rookie season, but quickly joined the rotation in his second and third seasons. In 2008 and 2009, the 6’-9” forward was rated in the Top-10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting as he averaged 13.3 points and 12.8 points those two seasons.

Outlaw was traded to the Clippers midway thru the 2009/10 season, then signed a Free Agent deal with the New Jersey Nets in the summer of 2010. Outlaw last played in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings in 2014.

The fifth player born in Russia to play in the NBA, the Blazers selected Sergei Monia had been playing in Russian Leagues starting in 2000. Monia joined the Blazers in 2005, starting in 15 of the teams first 17 games, but then fell out of rotation after averaging 3.5 points and shooting .35% from the field.

The 6’8” shooting guard played eight more games before he was packaged in a 4-team trade to Sacramento that netted the Blazers Marcus Camby. Monia returned to Russia and played until retiring in 2023, helping to win two EuroCup Titles, while also helping Russia win the Bronze Medal in the 2012 Olympics.

In the 2015 NBA Draft, the Blazers selected Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of Arizona and promptly traded him to Brooklyn Nets. Hollis-Jefferson played four seasons with the Nets, averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds in 234 games. The 6’-6” guard signed a free agent deal to play for the Toronto Raptors in 2019/20. In April 2021, after he had been released by the Raptors and Minnesota, Hollis-Jefferson signed a 10-day contract with Portland.

Hollis-Jefferson signed another 10-day contract and then signed a contract to finish the year with the Blazers, playing 11 games. Hollis-Jefferson is most recently playing in The Philippines.

Small Forward Kris Murray was selected by the Blazers in the 2023 NBA Draft from Iowa and was quickly signed to a multi-year contract. Murray bounced between the Blazers and theG-League team, the Rip City Remix, for the first month of his rookie season. After finding his confidence with the Remix, the 6’-8” forward started the final 28 games of the season, hitting double-digit scoring in 18 games. On June 29, Murray was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Ja Morant.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 5:39 PM

There are 24 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown.

Four players were selected in the 24th position, with three players wearing the Red and Black uniform, with one player having his number retired.

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The third player the Blazers selected in the 1978 NBA Draft, Keith Herron finished his career at Villanova with 2,170 points, the most in school history at the time. Herron faired well during the summer league and training camp but, as one of eight rookies, was caught in a numbers game and was released prior to the regular season. The 6’-6” guard signed with Atlanta but was waived after 14 games. Herron played a season in Belgium, before Detroit signed Herron prior to the 1980/81 season, when he averaged 13.7 points for the Pistons. Released once more, Herron first caught on with the Atlanta Hawks, then settled overseas for a few more years before suffering an ACL injury ended his career.

The Blazer brass was crossing fingers that Portland born AC Green would fall to the 24th position, but he was selected one slot earlier, and the Blazers instead settled for the franchise all-time leading assist leader in Terry Porter. The 6’-3” guard from Wisconsin-Stevens Point would end up playing 10 years in Portland, total 23,978 minutes, 758 games, 773 3-PT field goals, 11,330 points, and 5,319 assists. A two-time All-Star, Porter had his number 30 retired by the organization on Dec. 16, 2008.

Porter played a total of 17 years in the NBA, playing in Minnesota, Miami, and the San Antonio Spurs before retiring in 2002. He finished his career with 15,586 points and 7,160 assists, which is currently 18th in NBA History.

Considered to be one of the greatest players in European basketball history, 22-year old Arvydas Sabonis was selected in the first round of the 1986 NBA Draft after playing professionally for BC Žalgiris since he was 17 years of age. It took 10 years before the 7’-3” center finally donned a Blazers uniform, but while playing in Lithuania and Spain Sabonis was on 3 Russian League Title teams; 2 Spanish League Title teams; a 4-time European Player of the year; a Gold-winning Olympian (1988) and a Bronze winning team (1992). When he finally signed the Blazers in 1995, Sabonis added to his list of accolades by being on the NBA All-Rookie Team, and was runner-up to the Rookie of the Year, and Sixth Man of the year, all at the age of 31 years of age.

Sabonis played seven years total with Portland, averaging 12 points and 7.3 rebounds in 470 games, and was the starting center for the back-to-back WC Finalist teams (1999 and 2000). Suffering from multiple injuries, and with limited mobility when he finally arrived in Portland, Sabonis gave thought to the proverbial game of What If, wondering what would have happened had he joined the Blazers during their three-year run in the early 90’s.

When the Blazers selected 6’-3” shooting guard Anfernee Simons of the IMG Academy in the 2018 NBA Draft, he became the third player from the prestigious Academy to be selected by an NBA team. Simons spent some of his rookie season playing in the G-League but started the final Portland game his rookie year, and scored 37 points and passed for 9 assists in the Blazers victory. In 20 games his rookie year, he totaled 75 points. Simons steadily improved his scoring every year, peaking at 22.6 points in the 23/24 season. Simons was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2025 after playing 389 games in seven seasons with the Blazers, averaging 15 points.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 6:41 PM

September 25, 1975 - A noticeably bulkier Bill Walton enters his second training camp with the Blazers.

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Besides weight lifting, Walton has adjusted his vegetarian diet to include chicken and fish, pushing his weight from 210 pounds his rookie year to a reported 260 pounds.

Walton is sidelined for the opening of the camp with a toe issue.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 5:47 PM

September 25, 1971 - The Blazers announce that Geoff Petrie has had successful knee surgery and will be sidelined for 8-10 weeks.

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The NBA Co-Rookie of the Year injured the left knee on August 12 during a practice session, with the initial diagnosis being either a ligament strain or tendonitis. When the knee failed to respond to treatment, the Blazers team doctor, Dr. Frank Smith, consulted with a nationally known knee specialist, Dr. Donald Slocum of Eugene, and Dr. Robert Cram of Bryn Mawr, PA., who performed surgery on Petrie in 1963.

Smith said, "The lateral side of the knee joint was opened where a torn, loosened ... knee cartilage was found. We removed the entire lateral knee cartilage."

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 4:50 PM

September 25, 2009 - The Blazers announce the re-signing of Ime Udoka.

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A Portland native, Udoka played for Jefferson HS and Portland State before entering the NBA in 2003. Udoka started 75 games for the Blazers during the 2006/07 season, when he averaged career-highs with 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds. Udoka signed as a free agent with the Spurs after his season in Portland.

When he made his Blazers debut on November 1, 2006, Udoka became the third player born in Portland to play for the home team, following Damon Stoudamire and Dan Dickau. Since then, Jerami Grant became the fourth Portland born player to play for the Blazers.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 4:26 PM

September 25, 2017 - Jusuf Nurkić and Damian Lillard have both made personal changes to ready themselves for the 2017/18 season.

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@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 4:10 PM

There are 25 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown. Five of the six players selected by the Blazers with the 25th pick, would wear the Red and Black uniform, with one player having his number retired.

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Walt Gilmore was one of 18 players the Blazers selected in the 1970 NBA Draft, and one of the four drafted that played in that inaugural Blazers season. One of two players from Fort Valley State Univ. to play in the NBA, Gilmore made his debut in the Blazers first regular season game but was scoreless in 8 minutes. The 6’-6” forward would start 8 of the Blazers first 13 games, peaking with 11 points in his fourth game. After that, his playing time steadily decline, and would end the season playing only 27 games. Gilmore averaged 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 10 minutes of action. Gilmore would play in the 1971 summer league but was waived on Sept. 27. Gilmore played in the Eastern Basketball Assoc. during the 1971/72 season and attempted a comeback to the NBA but was unable to make another team.

An All-American at Fordham Univ., Charlie Yelverton earned his place on the second Blazers team with his speed and scoring ability. The 6’-2” guard scored in double-digit 13 times in his first 23 games despite only starting one game, but his scoring suffered once Geoff Petrie returned from knee surgery. Yelverton made headlines on February 1, 1972, when he sat on the floor during warmups before Portland played against the visiting Phoenix Suns. Said at the time to have been his protest of the teams release of Willie McCarter, his action, and the play of Sidney Wicks led to the firing of head coach Rolland Todd the next day. Yelverton said in 2016 that his protest was in response to the Vietnam War. Yelverton, who finished the season averaging 8 points and 3 rebounds, was released prior to the preseason games the following year.

Yelverton found great success in Europe, first playing in Greece before helping Ignis Varèse win the 1975 EuroLeague Title and helping the team to the 1978 and 1979 Finals. Overall, Yelverton, who played until 1987, was among the 105 players to be nominated to be named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008.

$Selected in the 1975 NBA Draft from Long Beach State, Bob Gross was one of two rookies to make the Blazers roster under coach Lenny Wilkens, but came into his own under Jack Ramsay in his second season. The 6’-6” small forward earned the starting spot over veteran Larry Steele on the eventual NBA Champions. Gross averaged 18 points in the finals vs the Philadelphia 76ers, earning a vote for the series MVP award. The following season, with the Blazers sporting a 55-16 record, Gross suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle 12 games after Bill Walton first suffered his own foot injury. Gross played seven seasons in Portland, and had his number 30 retired on Dec. 18, 2008, two days after the same number was retired in honor of Terry Porter.$

The Blazers selected Mike Smrek in the 1985 NBA Draft and promptly traded the 7’ center from Canisius to the Chicago Bulls, where he played a season before becoming the backup center to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the two-time NBA Champion Lakers. Smrek played 194 games over a seven year stretch in the NBA plus another five years in Europe.

The first Egyptian to play in the NBA, Alaa Abdelnaby of Duke was selected by the Blazers in the 1990 NBA Draft. The 6’-10” forward played two years with Portland before being traded to Milwaukee for the rights to Tracy Murray. Known by Blazer fans for his ever present smile, Abdelnaby also entered Blazers lore when he was summoned by coach Rick Adelman into the game on January 7, 1992 but did not have his jersey on under his warmup jacket. Abdelnaby played five years in the NBA before starting a broadcasting career.

After only a year at UNC, Nassir Little declared himself for the 2019 NBA Draft and the Blazers drafted the 6’-6” forward. Various injuries, and coaching decisions, limited Little to no more than 54 games in any season before he was traded to the Suns in 2023. After a year in Phoenix, Little signed to play in China, where he is still active.

@rosecitycentral.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 3:06 PM

🚨🚨 New Show Drop! Excited for the 1st episode in the rebirth of THE SCOOP with @jamiehudson10.bsky.social!

Check it out as Jamie talks offseason, where the Blazers stand in a stacked Western Conference, and more!

#RipCity #ScoopNation

www.youtube.com/watch?v=laQW...

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 12:47 AM

September 24, 1970 - The Blazers played their first ever preseason game at Mark Morris High School in Longview, WA. against the San Francisco Warriors in front of an estimated 2,800 fans.

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The Blazers entered the final quarter with a 97-81 lead but the veteran Warrior team pulled off the 119-118 victory behind the game-high 28 points by Jerry Lucas, who pulled down 14 rebounds.

Portland was led by Jim Barnett and Stan McKenzie, who each scored 23 points, with Barnett passing for a game-high 8 assists. LeRoy Ellis added 19 points and 17 rebounds, while Gary Gregor pulled down 26 rebounds along with 17 points.

The game in Longview came about because local resident, Bill Ammons, called the Blazers office to see if he could put the game together in his town. “I was about 28 years old and I loved sports my whole life," said Ammons, when he recalled the game in 2018. who owned a barbershop at the time. He figured the game wouldn’t count in the standings, but it would bring big NBA players to the small town and help the franchise to grow the fan base on the north side of the Columbia River.

"I was just sitting there and said, ‘You know what, I’m calling Harry Glickman.’ He and I just kind of clicked then. I still can’t believe I put that on,” Ammons chuckled.

The deal that Glickman and Ammons struck stated that all the ticket money had to go to charity. The Longview Progress Center, which worked to help children meet their developmental marks by age three, wound up as the financial beneficiary of the one-off arrangement.
After weeks of planning and coordinating, the game tipped off in the Monarchs’ gymnasium, now named Ted M. Natt Court. While the official tally says 2,800 people were on hand at Mark Morris to see the Blazers budding stars, Ammons says he knows there were more.

The shiny new team boasted a roster with familiar names such as NBA vet Stan McKenzie, Rick Adelman and former Oregon Duck Jim Barnett as they took on the Warriors, then of San Francisco. “A lot of big studs were there. They played their top guys. There was real talent out there. It was a real game,” Ammons said.

“That first game was talked about for years. It spurred all these young guys up here. This crowd wasn’t used to seeing 7-foot-tall guys who could dunk like no tomorrow,” Ammons explained. “It was a real experience, a tremendous event. To get that kind of crowd was great. I feel fortunate to have been able to do it and I was just a kid. I am so proud of that.”

Kirc Roland, the athletic director of Lower Columbia College in 2018 but a junior high school student at the time, said the moment Ammons told him the Blazers were coming to town he realized the day would be historic. “I was a boy who all of a sudden had a NBA game being played in my hometown. You just had to be there. It’s a pretty cool story that a young guy like Bill (Ammons) would call Glickman and get this event here,” Roland said.

Roland said the game remains a highlighted memory for him. To watch stars like Pat Riley and Geoff Petrie play in his hometown, and his future high school, was a once in a lifetime kind of deal. “You have got to understand it was a different time,” Roland said. “It was the 70’s. You wouldn’t see that in today’s world. The game was an exhibition game, so it didn’t really count. But it counted to Longview. It’s a little piece of history in this town because of Bill.”

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 2:41 PM

There are 26 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown.

Of the six player selected by the Blazers, four players wore the Red and Black uniform, with one player getting his uniform number to hang from the rafters.

#RipCity

Selected in the second round of the 1972 NBA Draft, Dave Twardzik of Old Dominion, decided to stay close to home after college, signing with the Virginia Squires of the ABA. Twardzik, who played four years with the Squires, was teammates with Julius Erving and George Gervin during his rookie season and became a free agent when the Squires folded after the 1975/76 season. The 6’-1” point guard signed with Portland in the summer of 1976 and quickly moved into the starting lineup of the revamped Blazers team. From the field, Twardzik shot .612 and .592 his first two years in Portland and would have led the NBA both years, but was short the 300 made field goals, connecting on 263 and 242. After four years with the Blazers, Twardzik retired due to a constant back issue, but continued to work with the team, first with Bill Schonely on the radio, before moving into sales. His number 13 was retired in 1981.

The third pick in the second round of the 1981 NBA Draft, Brian Jackson of Utah State was impressive enough during the Blazers rookie camp that he earned a spot on the Portland Summer League team. Once the teams training camp opened though, the 6’-8” forward was caught in a numbers game and was waived before the preseason got underway. Jackson instead had a successful 15 year career in Europe, making the All-Star teams in four of his six years with Peñas Huesca in the Spanish league. At the end of his career in Spain, Jackson played 392 league games, scoring 8,651 points, which ranked him first in league history at the time.

Selected eight slots after his twin brother Vern, Victor Fleming of Xavier was the Blazers third draft pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. The 6’-6” small forward was unable to impress the Blazers coaching staff, losing out to rookies Bernard Thompson and Jerome Kersey. Fleming instead played three years in the CBA, earning All-Star status in 1986, when he averaged 15 points per game. Once retired, Fleming transitioned into a corporate and educational career in Texas. Fleming worked for 26 years at Southwestern Bell Communications, holding roles in computer programming, management, and finance.

Rolando Ferreira, a 7'-1" Brazilian by way of the Univ. of Houston, was the Blazers first pick in the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft. Ferreira scored 26 points in the annual Rookie game, earning a spot on the Summer League squad. Ferreira survived the Portland training camp, becoming the first Brazilian player to ever play in an NBA game when he debuted on Nov. 4, 1988. Ferreira played 12 games with the Blazers before being released. Ferreira instead had a very successful career as a representative of the Brazilian National Team, playing in three FIBA World Cup Games and two Olympic appearances. Ferreira helped Brazil defeat the US team to win the Gold Medal in the 1987 Pan American Games.

After averaging only 6 points in his first two years at Syracuse, Dave Johnson pushed his average to nearly 20 points a game, earning All-Big East First team his senior season. Johnson increased his draft stock as the leading scorer in the Orlando NBA pre-draft camp, recording the highest vertical leap, and winning the Dunk Contest. The Blazers selected the 6’-7” guard in the 1992 NBA Draft, but the two sides couldn’t agree on a contract until just before the regular season started, pushing Johnson further down the depth chart. Johnson played 42 games his rookie season and was waived on the eve of his second season. Johnson played 17 games with the Chicago Bulls before being waived before playing in the CBA and in Europe over the next eight years.

Named Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2015 as a High School senior, Caleb Swanigan chose to stay in state and attend Purdue Univ., staying for two seasons before declaring for the 2017 NBA Draft. The 6’-9” forward, who was nicknamed “Biggie”, played for the Blazers summer league team, earning All-Summer League First Team honors as he led the Blazers into the Summer League Finals. Swanigan played 27 games with Portland his rookie season, while also playing in the G-League. Swanigan was traded to Sacramento midway his second season, but traded back to Portland nearly a year later, becoming the 20th player to have a second stint with the Blazers. Swanigan chose not to participate in the Orlando Bubble and his contract was not renewed.

Swanigan passed away in 2022 at the age of 25.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 3:54 AM

September 23, 1997 - The Blazers announce the signing of Kelvin Cato and John Crotty, and deal with rumors of a potential trade for Dennis Scott of the Orlando Magic.

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Cato, the Blazers first round selection in the draft, signed a three-year deal with Portland. With the expected departure of Chris Dudley to the Knicks, Cato will be the backup center to Arvydas Sabonis.

The Blazers also announced the signing of free agent guard John Crotty, though the NBA confirms the contract was agreed to on August 27.

In other news, Dennis Scott expects to be traded by the Magic to either Portland or Dallas. Scott says the Blazers are willing to trade Stacey Augmon and a draft pick. He also says he expects Dallas to trade Derek Harper and Ed O'Bannon to Orlando.

Jim Paxson, the Blazers assistant GM, commented, saying, "We need a shooter, and he is one of a few shooters who would be available. But as far as any deal that might be in the works, I can't comment."

@ripcitybasketball.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 1:45 AM

Two weeks from now, preseason starts. NBA games are near. Hell ya. #ripcity