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@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 11, 2026, 3:52 AM

September 10, 1986 - Blazers forward Clyde Drexler was an invited guest at a White House State Dinner, honoring Brazilian President Jose Sarney and his wife, Marly Macieira.

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Drexler, who was invited for his involvement with an anti-drug program in his summer basketball camp, was introduced to President and Mrs. Reagan during the reception in the Blue Room. Drexler initially walked into the Blue Room unannounced, but was told he needed to re-enter to be announced to the gathering. "It's my first time here," said a smiling Drexler to reporters, unaware of the protocol.

@arugulacowboy.bsky.social Sep 9, 2026, 4:05 PM

BAHAHSGACFGH!!! 🤣
#ripcity

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 9, 2026, 2:25 PM

There are 41 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown.

There have been two players selected by Portland with the 41st pick, with one playing for the Blazers.

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Selected in the 1977 NBA Draft, TR Dunn found himself replacing fan favorite Herm Gilliam following the 1977 Title season, becoming a fan favorite himself with his hard-nosed defense. The 6’-4” guard from Alabama played 235 games with Portland before a trade to the Denver Nuggets in 1980. Dunn played 14 years in the NBA, making the All-NBA Defensive second team in 1983, 1984, and 1985.

While a freshman in 1973 at Alabama, Dunn was a member, along with Charles Russell, Charles Cleveland, Leon Douglas, and Ray Odums, of the first all-black starting lineup in SEC history, when the Tide faced off against the Univ. of Louisville on Dec. 28, 1973.

Selected by Portland in the 2012 NBA Draft, Tyshawn Taylor was traded later that draft day to the New Jersey Nets. The 6’-3” guard played 61 games with the Nets before being waived. Taylor played until 2020 with various leagues in Europe, Puerto Rico, and the G-League.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 9, 2026, 2:22 PM

September 9, 1985 - Geoff Petrie has been named to be the new color-analysis along side Bill Schonely, replacing Dave Twardzik.

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Petrie replaces Twardzik, who will become a full-time sales person with the Blazers marketing team. "I got sick of all the traveling," said Twardzik.

Petrie, the original Blazers player, and the teams all-time leading scorer, will join Schonely court side and knows he has big shoes to replace. "I have to say that Dave Twardzik is going to be a difficult act to follow.”

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 9, 2026, 4:14 AM

September 8, 1976 - A month after being traded to the Atlanta Hawks, Geoff Petrie underwent successful knee surgery. The former Blazer is not expected to be ready to play until late October.

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@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 8, 2026, 3:55 PM

September 8, 1978 - Blazers center Bill Walton broke his media silence today when he sat down and spoke with Jack McGowan on KINK-FM radio.

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Once word leaked that Walton was to be interviewed by McGowan at 8pm, the radio station set into motion security measures. Walton arrived to the KINK studios by driving into the back loading dock area for the KGW News studios, the sister TV station, that shares the building with the radio station.

During the hour plus long interview, Walton talked of his recent meetings with Portland owner Larry Weinberg, where Walton was trying to get certain members of the medical staff replaced. While Weinberg did not respond after the meetings, Walton said changes were not coming, as they had "differing opinions" regarding the future of the team.

Walton talked of a "cavalier attitude" from the media treatment of him, both in the past and currently, as well as by the medical staff with regards to his treatment and teammate Bob Gross.

The only issue which McGowan mentioned was off limits was Walton friend and advisor Jack Scott. Walton had released a statement yesterday saying Scott no longer represented him. Scott and Walton had been housemates for a few years but had maintained separate households for the last year.

McGowan is Walton's next door neighbor on NW Quimby, and the two had became friends over the past two years. After Walton broke his foot in the second game of the playoffs, he didn’t have the heart to go to the remaining playoff games, McGowan invited his neighbor to watch the games with him from his living room on his black and white TV.

Later, McGowan told of the background for the day, saying Walton called him and asked if he'd be interested interviewing him about his decision to leave the team, live on KINK. Walton told McGowan that Howard Cosell, Brent Musburger and others wanted to interview him, but Bill insisted that he and Jack do it only on KINK. McGowan recalled that it was a pretty amazing time that he was to interview Bill on air and discuss his decision to leave the team.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 8, 2026, 3:44 PM

There are 42 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown.

There have been four players selected by the Blazers with the 42nd pick, with only one player wearing the Red and Black before an injury ended his career.

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Bill Cain was the first of four players selected with the 42nd pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. The 6'-6" forward averaged 19.8 points and 12.5 rebounds at Iowa State, but failed to survive the Blazers training camp. Cain instead played in Europe for the next 15 years, helping Le Mans win the French league Championships in 1978, 1979, and 1982.

The Blazers drafted Bill Smith of Syracuse in 1971, their first 7' player. Smith made the second year Portland team, becoming the teams starter after 10 games, in which he averaged 12 points and 6.7 rebounds. In the 20th game of his rookie season, Smith blew out his knee, basically ending his NBA career. He attempted to play twice more before surgery, and played eight games the following season before retiring.

A third round pick in the 1975 NBA Draft, 6'-9" forward/center Tom Roy of Maryland never made the trip to Portland for rookie camp, signing with the ABA Spirits of St. Louis instead. Roy was released during the preseason, and played in Europe for the next few years before returning to the states.

In the 2007 NBA Draft, the Blazers selected 6'-7" forward Derrick Byars from Vanderbilt but traded his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers for guard Petteri Koponen of Finland. Byars divided the next 10 years between playing in Europe and the NBA-G league, though he did play in two NBA games for the 2012 San Antonio Spurs.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 7, 2026, 7:31 PM

September 7, 1978 - In a surprise move, Bill Walton has announced that his friend and advisor Jack Scott will no longer represent him. Walton released the statement after his meetings with Blazers owner Larry Weinberg ended with no agreement.

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In part, Walton said he initially asked Scott to help him in securing his release from the Blazers, and, "... sift through the telephone calls and beginning negotiations with the other teams in the NBA."

Walton ended his statement with, "I understand and acknowledge all the personal harassment Jack has unfairly received in the process of helping me accomplish this task. In the future, Jack will return to his own projects and I will continue to pursue a contract with a team other than the Trail Blazers. I hope this process will be completed by the first of October, 1978."

Walton also announced that he will talk with Jack McGowan on KINK-FM radio tomorrow night, live, at 8pm.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 7, 2026, 4:15 PM

There are 43 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown.

There have been three player selected by Portland with the 43rd pick, with only one playing for the Blazers.

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Selected in the 1994 draft, the 6'-10" center from St. John's, Shawnelle Scott was invited to the Blazers fall camp in Colorado Springs but was cut prior to the regular season. Scott would play in the CBA before playing 105 games over four seasons in the NBA. Scott would later become a high school basketball coach in New York City.

Born in Bald Knob, Arkansas, Jason Jennings set a Sun Belt record, blocking over 100 shots two seasons in a row, helping the Blazers quantify their 2002 pick for the 7' center from Arkansas State. Jennings would play in Europe after being released by the Blazers.

The third Portland player selected with the 43rd pick, is the second player from France to suit up for the Blazers, Rayan Rupert played 139 games with the Blazers before being waived this past February. A 6'-7" small forward, Rupert played professionally in France for three seasons before Portland selected him in the 2023 NBA Draft.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 10:52 PM

September 6, 1990 - The City of Portland has been named as one of four finalist cities to host the 1992 Olympic Qualifying Tournament Of Americas. "I think our chances are excellent," said local promoter Brian Parrott.

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@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 5:24 PM

There are 44 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season and this year, Draft Positions are the order of the countdown.

There has been only one player selected by the Blazers with the 44th pick and that player playing a single season in Portland, but 10 years in the NBA.

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Clemon Johnson of Florida A&M was the 44th pick in the 1978 NBA Draft, the last pick in the second round. The 6'-10" center was one of four rookies to make that Portland squad in 1978. Johnson averaged 10 minutes as a backup in 74 games, averaging 3.2 points and 3.1 rebounds.

Traded to the Pacers after the season, Johnson would spend the next three and a half seasons in Indiana, before he was traded by the last place Pacers to the first place Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. When traded from the 16-35 Pacers to the 44-7 Sixers, Johnson was reported to have said, "It was like going from the outhouse to the White House." Johnson would backup former Blazer Moses Malone on that famed 1983 title team.

Johnson played 761 games, scored 4,102 points and grabbed 3,508 rebounds.

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 5, 2026, 4:23 PM

There are 45 days remaining before the Blazers open the 2026/27 season. This year, Draft Positions is the order of the countdown.

There has only been one player selected by the Blazers with the 49th pick, and that is 6'-10" center Marko Todorovic, from Texas El-Paso, in the 2013 NBA Draft

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@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 3, 2026, 3:00 PM

September 3, 1977 - Wally Walker will be part of the local coverage for the annual Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon for the coming Labor Day Weekend.

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@cronologia.bsky.social Sep 3, 2026, 9:23 AM

In 1998, the hometown dream becomes real when Portland brings Stoudamire home. He steps in as the steady point guard for a team that's always around the playoffs. #portland #trailblazers #hometown #ripcity

@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 3, 2026, 5:21 AM

September 2, 1993 - The contract that the Blazers and Chris Dudley agreed a month ago, which the NBA had disallowed, has been found not to violate the salary cap.

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@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 3, 2026, 4:59 AM

September 2, 1982 - Portland guard Billy Ray Bates scored 10 points for East Team in the second annual NBA Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The East squad topped the West, 151-144, despite Kiki Vandeweghe and Johnny Moore combining for 61 points for the West.

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@blazershistory.bsky.social Sep 3, 2026, 4:16 AM

September 2, 1976 - In one of the busier days in Blazers history, Portland traded away two former first round picks, released an 11-year NBA veteran, signed a long sought-after shooting guard, and signed two rookies.

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