Portland Trail Blazers: 30 greatest players in franchise history
By Ben Beecken
- Played 6 seasons with Trail Blazers (1970-76)
- Averaged 21.8 points and 4.6 assists per game
- 2x All-Star with Trail Blazers
We’ve found an original Trail Blazer! (Spoiler alert: he’s the only one on this list. Turns out it’s tough to find too many good players on an expansion team.)
Geoff Petrie was the Blazers’ first-round draft pick in 1970, eighth-overall. The 6-foot-4 guard from Princeton stepped in and was an All-Star immediately, averaging 24.8 points and 4.8 assists per game as a rookie for a 29-win squad. He was named NBA Co-Rookie of the Year along with Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics.
The team won only 18 games the next season, and Petrie took a slight step backwards to 18.9 points per game, as the team added Sidney Wicks, who is No. 19 on this list.
In fact, Petrie’s career in Portland ran parallel to the longest playoff drought in Trail Blazers history, which was also the first six seasons of the franchise’s existence. The team did improve, eventually winning 27, 38, and 37 games over the final three years of that stretch, and Petrie continued to be solid.
Petrie held the Blazers single-game scoring record of 51 points until Damon Stoudamire (No. 17 on this list) broke it with a 54-point performance in 2005.
Petrie was traded to the Atlanta Hawks after the 1975-76 season, but suffered a career-ending injury. He never suited up for another squad. His number was retired by Portland and hangs in the rafters at Moda Center today.