NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of The 1990s
By Phil Watson
50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 47. Terry Porter
Terry Porter had emerged quickly as a starter with the Portland Trail Blazers after being a surprise first-round pick out of Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1985.
In the 1990s, Porter blossomed into a two-time All-Star with Portland and the point guard for a pair of teams that reached the NBA Finals.
Porter was a top-10 finisher in the 1991 MVP voting and was an All-Star in both 1991 and 1993, finishing third in made 3s in 1990-91 and fifth in 1992-93. He was also fourth in 3-point shooting in 1990-91.
With Portland in the 1990s, Porter averaged 16.2 points, 6.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32 minutes per game, shooting .459/.399/.852.
Porter was limited to just 35 games in 1994-95 because of a variety of ailments and in September 1995, the Blazers released him after 10 years with the organization. He signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in October 1995, where he played three years as primarily a reserve.
He averaged 8.6 points, 4.1 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 22.1 minutes a game, shooting .438/.349/.804 and was released at the start of the new league year in July 1998.
After the lockout ended, Porter landed with the Miami Heat, where he averaged 10.5 points, 2.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds and a steal in 27.3 minutes per game, shooting .465/.411/.831.
Porter was 13th in the 1990s with 3,969 assists and 16th with 932 3-pointers.
Porter signed with the San Antonio Spurs and played three more seasons with them before retiring in July 2002.
Porter is currently an assistant coach with the Timberwolves and had stints as a head coach with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.