Ranking the greatest Portland Trail Blazers of all time

The Portland Trail Blazers were founded in 1970, and have, over the years, assembled enough talent to be competitive against teams from far larger markets and with far larger payrolls.

Join us now as we turn the spotlight on the top five Trail Blazers of all-time. 

5. Rasheed Wallace

Position: Power forward
Years active: 1996-2013
Accolades: 4x All-Star, 1x NBA champion

We’ll start off this list with a polarizing entry. Rasheed Wallace was one of the most physical players of his era, and his time with Portland coincided with the "Jail Blazers" era of the early-2000’s.

However, the facts are that he made two of his All-Star teams with Portland, was traded to Atlanta during the 2003-04 season, got shipped to Detroit 10 days later, and was a key part of the Detroit Pistons’ run to that year’s NBA title.

4. LaMarcus Aldridge

Position: Power forward
Years active: 2007-2021
Accolades: 7x All-Star, 5x All-NBA

Like many from the Trail Blazers organization, it’s easy to forget how good Aldridge was at his peak, because it coincided with the peaks of other teams’ powers. From the start of the 2010-11 season through the 2014-15 campaign, Aldridge averaged 22 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game. He made seven All-Star teams, four with Portland, and he may have been one of the most underrated players of his era.

3. Clyde Drexler

Position: Shooting guard
Years active: 1984-1998
Accolades: Hall of Fame, 10x All-Star, 5x All-NBA, 1x NBA champion

Some may think I’m not paying Clyde the Glide his just respect. To his credit, he was a top-level offensive player who did pretty much everything well. However, he never led the NBA in any offensive category, was repeatedly brutalized by Michael Jordan in big spots, and didn’t win his NBA championship ring until 1995, when he was part of the Houston Rockets.

2. Bill Walton

Position: Center
Years active: 1975-1987
Accolades: Hall of Fame, 2x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, 1x MVP, 2x NBA champion

Everyone’s favorite Deadhead/college basketball analyst (if he’s not your favorite, fight me) gets forgotten a bit despite being one of the league’s best post players immediately upon leaving UCLA to go to Portland.

He led the Trail Blazers to the 1977 title and averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists per game from 1974 through 1978. Chronic foot issues slowed him down, but opposing defenses had a much harder time when Walton was healthy.

1. Damian Lillard

Position: Point guard
Years active: 2013-present
Accolades: 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA, Rookie of the Year

Nobody was quite sure what to make of Lillard coming out of Weber State (including how to pronounce his alma mater). However, he wasted no time announcing his presence and has come to be respected as one of the top players in a star-heavy league.

Add in that he’s one of the best clutch performers of his era, and he makes the top spot on this list despite the lack of a title.