The 1996–97 NBA season was the 27th season for the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

. During the off-season, the Blazers signed free agent Kenny Anderson, acquired

Isaiah Rider Isaiah Rider Jr., nicknamed J.R. (born March 12, 1971), is an American former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the NBA. Rider was born in Oakland, California, and was raised in nearby Alameda. He starred in both baseball and ...

from the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, and acquired second-year forward

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) 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 199 ...

and

Mitchell Butler Mitchell Leon Butler (born December 15, 1970) is an American sports agent and former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2004. The 6' 5" (1.96 m) shooting guard signed undrafted w ...

from the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. This season is also notable for the team drafting high school basketball star

Jermaine O'Neal Jermaine Lee O'Neal Sr. (born October 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. The center– power forward had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft straight out of high s ...

with the 17th pick in the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball playe ...

. 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 Aaron Fitzgerald McKie (born October 2, 1972) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the head coach for his alma mater Temple Un ...

to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

in exchange for

Stacey Augmon Stacey Orlando Augmon (born August 1, 1968) is an American basketball coach and former player. He serves as the player development coach of the Sacramento Kings. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He gained the ...

. 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. Anderson led the team with 17.5 points, 7.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while Rider finished second on the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game, and Clifford Robinson contributed 15.1 points per game. In addition, Wallace averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, but only played 62 games due to a broken thumb, while second-year center

Arvydas Sabonis Arvydas Romas Sabonis (; born December 19, 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and businessman. Recognized as one of the best European players of all time, he won the Euroscar six times and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He p ...

provided the team with 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Off the bench, second-year forward

Gary Trent Gary Dajaun Trent Sr. (born September 22, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Early life Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Trent played his high school basketball at Hamilton Township High School. In his senior season ...

provided with 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and

Chris Dudley Christen Guilford Dudley (born February 22, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player and politician. He played 886 games across 16 seasons in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, New ...

contributed 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Wallace also finished in third place in Most Improved Player voting. The Trail Blazers had the seventh best team defensive rating in the NBA. The Blazers faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference First Round of the NBA Playoffs, and were defeated 1–3, marking the fifth straight year they were eliminated in the first round. Following the season, head coach P. J. Carlesimo was fired, while Robinson signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns after eight seasons in Portland, Dudley was traded to the New York Knicks, and Butler signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z - clinched division title :y - clinched division title :x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

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L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

L 77–95
, Wallace, Sabonis (18) ,

(11) ,

(5) ,

Great Western Forum Kia Forum (formerly The Forum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located between West Manchester Boulevard, across Pincay Drive and Kareem Court, it is north of SoFi Stadium and ...

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L 93–107
,

(20) , Clifford Robinson (10) , Kenny Anderson (7) ,

17,505 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 30 ,

W 98–90
, Kenny Anderson (30) ,

(7) , Kenny Anderson (5) ,

Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...

21,538 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 2 ,

L 91–95
,

(23) ,

(10) , Kenny Anderson (5) ,

21,538 , 1–3 , -

Player statistics

NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Player Transactions Citation:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Portland Trail Blazers Season Portland Trail Blazers seasons Portland Trail Blazers 1996 Portland Trail Blazers 1997

Port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...