by Bill Walton
First published 2010
Bill Walton presents four decades of Portland Trail Blazers history through rare photographs and untold stories. The book explores how Harry Glickman brought professional basketball to Portland and how the franchise evolved into "Rip City." Walton examines Dr. Jack Ramsay's coaching philosophy and the path to the 1977 NBA championship. He profiles the careers of star players including his own complex legacy as the team's star-crossed center, plus Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter who led the team to two Western Conference titles. The narrative covers the modern era with Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, and LaMarcus Aldridge establishing new traditions. Walton draws from Trail Blazers archives and The Oregonian newspaper collections to reveal how Portland became a basketball destination despite being one of the NBA's smallest markets, achieving 814 consecutive sellouts and 21 straight playoff appearances.
Genres: history, 20th-century, sports, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, basketball, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, underdog
Setting: Portland, Rip City
Period: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s
264 pages · Hardcover · Insight Editions