Seemingly in every professional franchise, there is this one player who embodies the heart and soul of a team. He may never have made an All-Star team or garnered individual accolades of achievement. Yet, his mark on the franchise is undeniable. For the Trail Blazers, that would be small forward Jerome Kersey. Portland took him No. 46 overall in the 1984 NBA Draft out of Longwood University.
Kersey played his first 11 of 17 NBA seasons in Rip City. While he had to initially carve out a rotational role for the Trail Blazers, he became a full-time starter in year four in 1987-88. Kersey was a massively important piece on those Portland teams that were coached by Rick Adelman that went to two NBA Finals. He, Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams and Kevin Duckworth were a starting five good enough to win an NBA championship if not for the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons or the first wave of the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls.
After the 1992-93 NBA season, Kersey would resolve back into being a role player for the Trail Blazers. He would play in the Rose City through the 1994-95 NBA season. Then Kersey would begin his career as a journeyman in the last third of his career by signing with the Golden State Warriors in summer 1995.
Kersey would never stick anywhere for more than two seasons. Though he didn’t win a championship in Portland, Kersey did get to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy as a member of the 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs in the lockout-shortened season. He would retire in 2001 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. In 11 years with the Trail Blazers, Kersey averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 26.2 minutes per game. Kersey died at the age of 52 due to pulmonary embolism in 2015.