Porter, Gross to have Portland jersey retired
November 11th, 2008, 7:32 pm · Post a Comment · posted by jerrybrown
A little more than a week ago, the subject of retired numbers came up during a Terry Porter media scrum and a writer asked the Suns coach if his No. 30 Trail Blazers jersey hung in the rafters of Portland’s Rose Garden
“Nope,” said Porter, who then rattled off the names and numbers of those who had been so honored. “But I’m still a young guy. Maybe they’ll get around to it.”
Maybe Porter knew something because the Blazers announced Tuesday that No. 30 will be retired– but Porter will to have to share with Bobby Gross, a shooting forward on Portland’s 1977 NBA championship team.
Porter’s ceremony will take place on Dec. 16 in Portland, while Gross will be honored two nights later when Portland and the Suns visit the Blazers.
Porter and Gross will become the third pair of NBA players to share such an honor. In New York, the Knicks have retired No. 15 for both Dick McGuire and Earl Monroe, while No. 18 in Boston was retired for Dave Cowens and Jim Loscutoff – who asked that his number remain in use with the Celtics.
“We are proud to honor our rich tradition by celebrating two men who put #30 front and center for many of this franchise’s finest moments,” Trail Blazers President Larry Miller said in a statement. “Terry and Bobby embodied what it means to be a Trail Blazer, on and off the court. We are thrilled to celebrate their contributions to the franchise.”
Porter averaged 14.9 points and 7.0 assists per game during his 10-year tenure (1985-95), earning two All-Star appearances and leading the Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. He remains the team’s all-time assist leader (5,319) and second-leading scorer (11,330) behind Clyde Drexler, while ranking third in games played (758).
“The Trail Blazers organization gave me my chance and believed in me when 23 other teams did not, so they will always be special to me,” Porter said. “But this caps it off. I am honored and moved that they feel my jersey should be retired.
“My whole basketball career has been about working hard every day and giving myself the opportunity to be the best player I could be. I would hope that Blazers fans would remember me as a player who gave everything he had when he stepped on the floor, competed, and represented the city and state to the best of my ability.”
The number 30 will be the 11th jersey to hang from the Portland rafters. Gross becomes the eighth member of the 1977 championship team to be honored, joining Dave Twardzik (13), Lionel Hollins (14) Larry Steele (15), Maurice Lucas (20), Bill Walton (32) Lloyd Neal (36) and head coach Jack Ramsay (77). Porter will join team founder Larry Weinberg, Clyde Drexler (22) and Geoff Petrie (45).
