I will be posting a thread for each former Blazer that has a jersey hanging from the rafters in the order that the jerseys were retired.
The first jersey retired by the Blazers was Lloyd Neal's #36. It was retired on March 24th, 1979.
Lloyd Neal was drafted by the Blazers in the 3rd round of the 1972 draft (31st selection overall) out of Tennessee St. He played 7 seasons for the Blazers from '72-'73 till '78-'79 when he was forced into retirement because of an injury
Lloyd Neal was a fan favorite during his time in Portland. He backed up Bill Walton at times during the championship season (1976-1977). He was called upon during game 4 of the 1977 Finals for a key stretch during the second half of the game after Walton picked up 5 fouls, and he filled in more then adequately. His performance helped the Blazers hold on to the lead and cruise to a 130-98 victory.
He averaged 11.1 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game in 435 games with the Blazers.
His best season statistically was 1975-1976 where he averaged 15.5 ppg and 8.3 rpg.
Blazer fans, post your memories of Lloyd Neal here!
