Wikipedia:Today's featured list/March 22, 2024
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From 1970 to 2023, 279 players have been selected by the Portland Trail Blazers, an American professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) based in Portland, Oregon. The franchise was founded in the 1970–71 NBA season and made their first draft pick in the 1970 NBA draft. Portland has held the first overall pick four times, selecting LaRue Martin in 1972, Bill Walton in 1974, Mychal Thompson in 1978, and Greg Oden in 2007. Three players drafted by Portland won the Rookie of the Year Award; Geoff Petrie (pictured), who was the franchise's inaugural draft pick, won in 1971, Sidney Wicks in 1972, and Damian Lillard in 2013. Four drafted players have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Walton, Dražen Petrović, Clyde Drexler, and Arvydas Sabonis, while nine have had their jersey number retired by the team. Walton and Drexler were named to the NBA 50th and 75th anniversary teams in 1996 and 2021, respectively, while Lillard was named to the 75th anniversary team. (Full list...)