You may not realize it, but the Portland Trail Blazers actually have a pretty rich history of fine talent.
The Blazers only have one championship to their name, which came in 1977, but Portland has made three NBA Finals appearances and have had some of the best players of all-time come through the franchise.
Centers, forwards, guards, the Blazers have had it all.
Here are the five best Blazers players of all-time.
5. Geoff Petrie
The forgotten legend.
Due to knee injuries, Geoff Petrieāwho most people these days probably know as the architect of the early 2000s Sacramento Kingsāonly lasted six seasons in the league before having to retire.
All six of his seasons came with the Blazers, and during that time, Petrie was magnificent.
He just missed being a part of the championship team in 1977, but from 1971 through 1976, Petrie appeared to be on his way to becoming one of the game's most dynamic scorers.
Petrie made a couple of All-Star appearances during that time, averaging over 24 points per game in three seasons.
The Princeton product made 45.5 percent of his shots and 80.5 percent of his free throws in his career and was a master of drawing contact and getting to the charity stripe.
Had it not been for his knee issues, Petrie may have ended up being a Hall of Famer.
4. LaMarcus Aldridge
Many Blazers fans did not exactly take kindly to LaMarcus Aldridge when he bolted Portland for the San Antonio Spurs during the summer of 2015, but there is no denying just how good Aldridge was in his prime years.
Aldridge spent the first nine years of his career in Rip City, making four All-Star appearances.
No, he never led the Blazers past the second round of the playoffs, but that's not necessarily his fault, as the team around him was just never good enough (if only Brandon Roy didn't have those chronic knee problems).
Aldridge developed into one of the NBA's smoothest front-court scorers during his time in Portland, averaging over 20 points per game five times.
His shot selection wasn't always the best, which resulted in some rather inefficient seasons, but due to his silky smooth post game and ability to shoot from the mid range, Aldridge was a nightmare to defend.
3. Bill Walton
Bill Walton is easily one of the biggest āwhat ifsā in the history of the game.
The lovable Walton entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick out of UCLA in 1974 and spent the first five seasons of his career with the Blazers, leading Portland to a title in 1977.
While injuries clouded his relatively short stay with the Blazers, Walton was a force to be reckoned with when he was on the floor. Walton averaged double doubles in each of his healthy seasons (there were four of them; more on that in a second), made a couple of All-Star teams and won an MVP award in 1978.
However, Walton actually broke his foot during his MVP season, returned for the playoffs and re-injured himself, leading to the big man demanding a trade that ensuing offseason because of how the front office handled his injury.
He proceeded to sit out all of the 1978-79 campaign before joining the San Diego Clippers, effectively ending his tenure in Portland.
Walton's time with the Blazers was certainly a strange ride, but when he was available, he was dominant. Just imagine what he and Portland could have accomplished had he stayed healthy.
2. Damian Lillard
Some might argue that Damian Lillard is the best Blazers player ever, but I don't think he has reached that level just yet.
Of course, that is no slight to Lillard, who has established himself as one of the best point guards in basketball and one of the best scorers we have seen in general.
Lillard entered the NBA in 2012 and immediately flashed his potential, averaging 19 points per game during his rookie campaign. Since then, he has logged over 20 points per game in eight straight seasons with a high of 30.0 points per game in 2019-20.
Not only that, but Lillard is an outstanding leader and locker-room presence and has expressed fierce loyalty to a Blazers franchise that has not quite been able to get over the hump throughout Lillard's tenure.
Lillard led Portland to its first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2000 in 2018-19, and over the course of his career thus far, he has recorded 24.7 points per game. He has also notched six All-Star appearances.
Perhaps one day, Lillard will get to the top of this list.
1. Clyde Drexler
As good as Lillard has been, he has not been what Clyde Drexler was during his Blazers tenure.
Drexler spent the first 11-and-a-half seasons of his illustrious NBA career in Rip City, making eight All-Star appearances and leading Portland to an NBA Finals appearance in 1992.
He was also probably the first 2-guard we really saw go toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan. Not surprisingly, Jordan won the battle more often than not, including those 1992 finals, but there is no shame in losing to the GOAT.
As a matter of fact, before Kobe Bryant burst on to the scene in the late '90s and put together his own Hall-of-Fame career, Drexler was widely considered the second-best shooting guard of all-time behind MJ.
Clyde the Glide averaged over 20 points per game seven times throughout his stay in Portland, including a pair of seasons in which he posted 27 points per game in 1988 and 1989.
He was also a terrific defender and one of the smoothest athletes we have ever seen at his position.
Drexler, who would later add a ring with the Houston Rockets in 1995, is probably one of the most underrated players in NBA history.
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