The Portland Trail Blazers’ all-time starting 5
By Erris Brown
Center: Bill Walton
Career stats: 13.4 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.2 BPG, 52.1 FG%
At the center position to cap off this lineup of dominance is a Hall-of-Famer who personifies dominance. Standing alone as the only Blazers champion in this all-time starting five, Bill Walton is to this day the greatest Portland center of all time.
From his rookie year, Walton was a walking double-double, averaging 12.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, numbers that would only increase during his four-year stretch in Portland. In addition to his ability in the paint and propensity for grabbing boards, the seven-footer was just as good of a rim defender, averaging 2.7 blocks per game his rookie season and leading the league with 3.2 a game in 1977.
In 1977, the Trail Blazers’ lone title would come thanks to the leadership and play of Walton, who averaged 18.6 points, 14.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game during the regular season and 18.2 points, 15.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game during the memorable postseason run the ended with the Blazers defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals.
Walton stands alone with achievements that no other player on this list holds. As a former league MVP, Finals MVP, two-time All-Star, league leader in rebounds and blocks, and an All-NBA First and Second Team selection, the Hall-of-Famer whose No. 32 was retired by the team is the most deserving player to complete a lineup of the most legendary Portland Trail Blazers in franchise history.