Rasheed Abdul Wallace is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 1995. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Steven Hanson Blake is an American professional basketball coach and former player. After winning the 2002 NCAA Championship with Maryland, Blake was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 38th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Over his 13-year NBA career, Blake had stints with the Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, and three stints with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Daniel David Dickau is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as an on-air broadcaster for ESPN, the Pac-12 Network, CBS Sports Network and Westwood One. He is also a co-host of the Dickau and Slim Show on Spokane's 700 ESPN with Sean "Slim" Widmer.
Caldwell "Pops" Jones Jr. was an American professional basketball player.
Clifford Ralph Robinson was an American professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected in the second round of the 1989 NBA draft, he played the first eight seasons of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, followed by stints with the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, and New Jersey Nets. Robinson received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1993 and was selected as an NBA All-Star in 1994. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies.
Steven Charles Mix, nicknamed "The Mayor", is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Mix had a thirteen year playing career, was an NBA All-Star and played in the NBA Finals on four occasions. He later had a lengthy career as a broadcaster for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Maurice Lucas was an American professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a four-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. He was named to the ABA All-Time Team.
Tracy Lamont Murray is an American former professional basketball player who works as an analyst with the UCLA Sports Network for all of the games during the UCLA Bruins' basketball season. Tracy is also a part-time analyst on the Slam Dunk Show on ABC7 Los Angeles. He worked as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the 2015–16 NBA season.
The 1974 NBA draft was the 28th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 28, 1974, before the 1974–75 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Portland Trail Blazers won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Philadelphia 76ers were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Prior to the draft, the Capital Bullets were renamed the Washington Bullets. An expansion franchise, the New Orleans Jazz, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the tenth pick in each round. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Before the draft, 20 college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule. These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 178 players.
Derek Ervin Smith was an American professional basketball player. He won a national championship with the Louisville Cardinals in 1980, and spent nine years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in a career shortened by a knee injury. He would later become an assistant coach for the Washington Bullets from 1994 until his death.
Rick Roberson was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers (1969–71), Cleveland Cavaliers (1971–73), Portland Trail Blazers (1973–74), New Orleans Jazz (1974–75) and Kansas City Kings (1975–76).
Nolan Derek Smith is an American former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant men's basketball coach for the Louisville Cardinals. He played college basketball for Duke before being drafted 21st overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2011 NBA draft. As a junior, he started at shooting guard for Duke's national champion 2010 team. As a senior, he was named a consensus first-team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year.
The 1977–78 NBA season was the team's 17th season in the NBA and their 5th season in the city of Washington, D.C. It would prove to be their most successful season, as they would win their first and only NBA championship as of 2022. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Bullets' 30th season in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Bullets acquired second-year forward Pervis Ellison from the Sacramento Kings. The team struggled with a 4–10 start in November, but played around .500 afterwards and held a 21–27 record at the All-Star break. However, with a nine-game losing streak between February and March, the Bullets' struggles continued as they finished fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 30–52 record.
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Jazz's 17th season in the National Basketball Association, and 12th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. Early into the season, the Jazz traveled to Japan to play their first two games against the Phoenix Suns at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. With the off-season acquisition of All-Star guard Jeff Malone from the Sacramento Kings, who acquired him from the Washington Bullets in a three-team trade, the Jazz continued to play sweet music in the regular season with a 26–12 start, and held a 30–16 record at the All-Star break. They ended up falling one game short of the Midwest Division title with another stellar record of 54–28. They made their eighth consecutive trip to the playoffs.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the 26th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. After spending their first 25 years at the Memorial Coliseum, the Blazers began playing at the new Rose Garden Arena this season. The team acquired the eighth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft from the Detroit Pistons, and selected Shawn Respert out of Michigan State University, but soon traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for top draft pick Gary Trent out of Ohio University. Rookie center Arvydas Sabonis from Lithuania, who was drafted 24th overall by the Blazers in the 1986 NBA draft, would finally make his debut in the NBA. The Blazers held a 24–24 record at the All-Star break, and struggled playing below .500 afterwards, posting a 26–34 record as of March 5. However, they would win 18 of their final 22 games to finish the season with a 44–38 record, which was the same record as the previous season. The team finished fourth in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference, making their 14th straight trip to the postseason, and 19th in 20 years.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the 27th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Trail Blazers signed free agent Kenny Anderson, acquired Isaiah Rider from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and acquired second-year forward Rasheed Wallace and Mitchell Butler from the Washington Bullets. This season is also notable for the team drafting high school basketball star Jermaine O'Neal with the 17th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. The Blazers would hover around .500 for most of the first half of the season, holding a 25–23 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Aaron McKie to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Stacey Augmon. The Blazers then posted a 13–2 record in March, which included an 11-game winning streak, then won their final four games of the season. The Blazers finished third in the Pacific Division, and fifth in the Western Conference with a 49–33 record. Making their 15th straight trip to the postseason and 20th in 21 years.
The 1988–89 NBA season was the Nuggets' 13th season in the NBA and 22nd season as a franchise. During the off-season, the team signed free agent All-Star guard Walter Davis. The Nuggets got off to an 11–4 start to the season, but played below .500 afterwards, as Bill Hanzlik only played just 41 games due to a back injury. At midseason, the team traded Jay Vincent and Calvin Natt to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Dave Greenwood and Darwin Cook, and held a 25–23 record at the All-Star break. Despite losing six of their final eight games, the Nuggets finished third in the Midwest Division with a 44–38 record, while posting a very successful 35–6 home record.
Raymond Mark Spalding is an American professional basketball player for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Louisville.
