Bill Walton was the back-to-back BPG leader for the Trail Blazers.
The Portland Trail Blazers weren’t established until 1970. Still, they have a storied history of shot blockers. Let’s dive into their record books and highlight their top five leaders in blocks per game for a single season.
Theo Ratliff – 2004, 4.4 BPG
Ratliff played for the Pistons, 76ers and Hawks before being traded to the Trail Blazers. He led the league with 3.7 blocks per game with the 76ers in 2000-01 and again with 3.2 blocks per game with the Hawks in 2002-03. He began the 2003-04 season by playing 53 games for the Hawks before being traded to the Trail Blazers. Across 32 games with Portland, he averaged 4.4 blocks. His combined average of 3.6 blocks per game with the two teams was enough to lead the NBA. Across 150 career regular season games with the Trail Blazers, Ratliff averaged 2.6 blocks.
Bill Walton – 1977, 3.2 BPG
The Trail Blazers selected Walton with the first pick in the 1974 Draft. He appeared in 35 games during his rookie season, averaging 12.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. In the 1976-77 season, he logged an average of 35 minutes over 65 games. That helped him lead the NBA in both blocks (3.2) and rebounds (14.4) per game. He made his first career All-Star team that season, while also being named All-Defensive First Team and finishing second in MVP voting. The Trail Blazers won the NBA title that season with Walton being named Finals MVP.
Hassan Whiteside – 2020, 2.9 BPG
The 2019-20 season was the only season that Whiteside played for the Trail Blazers. He appeared in 67 games, averaging 30 minutes along the way. In addition to his league-leading average of 2.9 blocks per game, Whiteside averaged 15.5 points and 13.5 rebounds. It was the second time in his career that Whiteside led the league in blocks per game.
Sam Bowie – 1985, 2.7 BPG
The Trail Blazers selected Bowie with the second pick in the 1984 Draft. He immediately played a prominent role, averaging 29 minutes across 76 games during his rookie campaign. In addition to his 2.7 blocks per game, Bowie averaged 10.0 points and 8.6 rebounds. Injuries then limited Bowie to a total of 63 games over the next four seasons. Across 139 career games with the Trail Blazers, he averaged 10.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Following his tenure with the Trail Blazers, Bowie spent four seasons with the Nets before playing the final two seasons of his career with the Lakers.
Bill Walton – 1978, 2.5 BPG
After leading the league in blocks per game for the 1976-77 season, Walton averaged 2.5 the following campaign. He also averaged 18.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists. His robust production resulted in him making the All-Star team, being named All-NBA First Team and winning the regular season MVP award. Walton played a total of four seasons for the Trail Blazers, averaging 17.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.6 blocks over 209 games.
