At times it is fun to reminisce about the Portland Trail Blazers‘ past. Or, in this case, learn some facts that aren’t commonly known.
3 fun facts about the Portland Trail Blazers you might not have known
Did you know that Miami Heat President and coaching great, Pat Riley, was briefly a member of the Blazers? Riley was selected by Portland in the 1970 expansion draft via the then-San Diego Rockets. Portland then turned around and immediately traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Riley would later be traded to Phoenix in 1975-1976, his last season in the NBA, before returning to the Lakers in 1977 as a television broadcaster.
Did you know Portland could have drafted Hall-of-Fame forward Larry Bird? The Blazers owned the number one pick in the 1978 draft. With that pick, they selected a center out of the University of Minnesota by the name of Mychal Thompson. Later in that same draft, the Boston Celtics selected Bird from Indiana State with the sixth pick. Thompson didn’t have the type of career Bird did, however, he averaged 13.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and just over a block in thirteen NBA seasons.
While we’re talking about players Portland should have drafted, Julius Erving could have been a member of the Blazers too. In the 1972 draft, they again owned the number one pick, which they used on Loyola center LaRue Martin. The Milwaukee Bucks would acquire Dr. J out of the University of Massachusetts with the 12th-overall pick. Bob McAdoo would go second-overall to the Buffalo Braves.
Martin would only play four seasons in the NBA, with career averages of 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds.
Clearly, the Portland Trail Blazers have had some tough luck with the number one overall pick. They’re not letting that get in the way of their tank, though, and would love to hold the first selection in this year’s draft — guaranteeing themselves the opportunity to grab who should be their top target in the 2022 class.
Let’s hope the Blazers have a chance to redeem themselves this summer.