Every Portland Trail Blazers player in history to wear #11
By Reese Kunz
The Portland Trail Blazers' No. 11 jersey has been worn by 21 players, the most in the franchise's history. Other popular Blazers numbers have been No. 4, No. 5, and No. 21, all of which have been worn by 19 players. Due to the high volume, there are some significant names on this list, but one Hall of Fame player stands out amongst the rest.
List of every Blazers player in history to wear No. 11
- Shaler Halimon, 1971
- Charlie Yelverton, 1972
- Mark Sibley, 1974
- Willie Smith, 1979
- Abdul Jeelani, 1980
- Mike Gale, 1981
- Ron Rowan, 1987
- Clinton Wheeler, 1989
- Delaney Rudd, 1993
- Negele Knight, 1995
- Arvydas Sabonis, 1996-2003
- Vladimir Stepania, 2004
- Sergio Rodriguez, 2007-09
- Luke Babbitt, 2011
- Jamal Crawford, 2012
- Meyers Leonard, 2013-19
- Enes Freedom 2021
- Larry Nance Jr. 2022
- Josh Hart 2022-23
- Kevin Knox 2003
- Malcolm Brogdon 2024
Larry Nance Jr. was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the CJ McCollum deal. The Blazers received Josh Hart as a key part of that trade; not only did Hart end up taking Nance's No. 11 jersey with the Blazers, but the two players ended up swapping houses in Portland and New Orleans.
Who is the greatest Blazers player to ever wear No. 11?
The one name on this list that immediately stands out is Arvydas Sabonis, father of Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis. There have been six Hall of Fame players to ever play for the Blazers: Bill Walton, Lenny Wilkens, Clyde Drexler, Drazen Petrovic, Scottie Pippen, and Sabonis.
Sabonis played 470 games with Portland, the second most among HOF players behind only Drexler. In his span with the Blazers, Sabonis averaged 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game. His 7-foot-3, 292-pound frame and elite passing ability made him a matchup nightmare.
The Blazers were too lenient with jersey retirements, especially in the 1970s. But now that the bar and standard have been set, Sabonis' No. 11 seems worthy of hanging in the Moda Center rafters as one of the only Hall of Fame players to play a significant number of seasons for the Blazers.
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