TRAIL BLAZERS TO RETIRE LIONEL HOLLINS NO. 14 JERSEY AT 1977 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REUNION NOONTIME RALLY FOR 77 CHAMPS SET FOR TERRY SCHRUNK PLAZA

Thirty years ago this June, the Portland Trail Blazers shocked the basketball world winning the NBA Championship over the heavily-favored Philadelphia 76ers, 4-2. With the national spotlight shining on Portland and the ensuing celebrations statewide, the 1977 NBA World Championship proved to be a defining moment for Portland, Oregon.

The Trail Blazers will pay special tribute to the 1977 NBA World Champions during ceremonies at Portland’s final regular season game against the Golden State Warriors on April 18. The reunion will be highlighted by the retiring of the No. 14 jersey worn by former Trail Blazers guard Lionel Hollins, who played an integral role on the championship team.

“The 1977 team set the bar by which all other Trail Blazers teams are judged,” said Mike Golub, Trail Blazers executive vice president. “It was a very special team and a very special time for the franchise, its fans and the City of Portland, and we very much look forward to welcoming all the heroes from that team back to Portland and honoring them for their incredible accomplishments.”

Fans attending the game will receive a special commemorative poster that features the 1976-77 Trail Blazers on one side and the current 2006-07 Trail Blazers team on the opposite side.

“We wanted to make the reunion very special for this team and the consensus among the alumni, coaches and organization was that retiring Lionel Hollins’ jersey was long overdue and the right thing to do, so this seemed the perfect opportunity,” added Golub. “We couldn’t be more excited to raise the ‘Train’s’ jersey to the rafters to join the other Trail Blazer greats.”

Hollins joins fellow 1977 champion teammates Dave Twardzik (#13), Larry Steele (#15), Maurice Lucas (#20), Bill Walton (#32), and Lloyd Neal (#36) to have their jerseys retired. The only other Trail Blazers to have their jerseys retired are Geoff Petrie (#45) and Clyde Drexler (#22).

Another highlight of the 1977 Reunion will be a noontime rally for the former champions at Terry Schrunk Plaza on April 18. Schrunk Plaza was the scene of a massive rally for the team immediately following the team’s victory parade, which began at Union Station and worked its way down Broadway.

The Trail Blazers are also paying homage to the team on trailblazers.com website with a special 1977 World Champions section, which features news, stats, photos, video and a variety of archived material from 1977.

The Trail Blazers drafted Hollins out of Arizona State University with the sixth overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft. He played five seasons for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1975-1980, averaging 13.6 points per game.

Hollins is currently an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.