What do Clyde Drexler Arvydas Sabonis, Lenny Wilkens, Jack Ramsay, Neil Johnston, Dražen Petrović, Harry Glickman, Scottie Pippen, Bill Schonley, and now Rick Adelman all have in common? They are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with connections to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Saturday afternoon, the Basketball Hall of Fame enshrined and inducted its 2021 class, which included the former Portland coach and player Adelman, who entered the “Hall” as a coach.
Adelman started his coaching career at Salem’s Chemeketa Community College in 1977 and left in 1983. While coaching the Bolt he compiled a record of 141 wins and 39 losses, and according to the Northwest Athletic Conference Hall of Fame website,
“Chemeketa won, or shared three OCCAA championships and one region 18 title.”
In 1982, Adelman left the community college to join “Dr. Jack’s bench as an assistant with the Blazers.
On February 10, 1989, Adelman replaced Mike Schuler and became the seventh head coach in franchise history.
“We feel that Rick Adelman has earned the opportunity to step in as head coach,” former team owner Paul Allen said in a statement in 1989 to the Associated Press via the New York Times.
In his time with Portland, Adelman led the Blazers to the Finals in 1990 and 1992, with help from players like Drexler and Terry Porter. The team would relieve Adelman of his job on May 19, 1994, after a record of 291-154, replacing him with Seton Hall’s PJ Carlesimo.
Adelman would go on to coach the Golden State Warriors (1995-1997), Sacramento Kings (1999-2006), Houston Rockets (2007-2011), and the Minnesota Timberwolves (2011-2014) with a final coaching record of 1042-749, ninth in career wins as an NBA coach.
He was presented by former Kings’ Hall of Fame center Vlade Divac, and former Seattle Sonics’ Hall of Fame center Jack Sikma.
To hear Adelman’s Hall of Fame induction speech, check out the NBA’s YouTube page.