No. 6 – Geoff Petrie
The Trail Blazers were founded in 1970. They had the eighth overall pick for their first season.
With that pick, they selected Geoff Petrie, a shooting guard out of Princeton. Because of that, he’s known as the “Original Trail Blazer.”
Petrie proceeded to win Co-Rookie of the Year. He averaged 25 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in his rookie campaign.
Like Roy, Petrie’s career was unfortunately cut short due to a knee injury. His career ended in 1976, so he just missed the addition of the 3-pointer, which was introduced in 1979. He only played six seasons in the NBA.
In those six seasons, Petrie averaged 22 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal on 45 percent field goal shooting and 80 percent free throw shooting. He was a two-time NBA All-Star.
Petrie was part of a league-altering trade with the Atlanta Hawks that landed the Blazers Lucas, who went on to win a championship with Portland. Petrie didn’t end up playing with Atlanta, as that was when he suffered his career-ending knee injury.
Even if Portland traded him, Petrie is a Blazer forever. He has his number 45 hanging in the rafters at Moda Center.