Netflix will air a film on the Portland Trail Blazers’ “Jail Blazers” era as part of its UNTOLD series, Netflix announced:
Untold: Jail Blazers In the early 2000s, the Portland Trail Blazers were an NBA team unlike any other, stacked with All-Stars and poised to make a mark. While their on-court performances dazzled fans, their off-court lives became the subjects of scandal, controversy, and relentless media attention. Through firsthand accounts from star players Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire,
and Bonzi Wells, plus archival footage and other insider perspectives, Jail Blazers offers an unfiltered look at a team caught between brilliance and notoriety, examining how culture, race, and media shaped one of the most infamous chapters in NBA history.
The “Jail Blazers” era, which spanned the late 90s and early 2000s, was coined by Willamette Week in a 1996 article that profiles six Blazers players who had “run afoul of the law,” including for having “a pop can and a lighter” and other cannabis-related items. Former Oregonian columnist John Canzano also famously requested then-Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire be tested for cannabis (he passed the test).
The term “Jail Blazers” has in more recent years been reexamined and criticized for chastising Black athletes for minor offenses.
The four films – including the one on the Jail Blazers era – will air weekly on Netflix beginning on March 31.
