The Portland Trail Blazers will honor late franchise legend and Hall of Famer Rick Adelman by wearing a band on their jerseys throughout the 2026-27 season, the organization announced Monday.
The Blazers will also recognize and celebrate Adelman’s legacy in Rip City and his wider impact on the game of basketball during Portland’s home matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 15. Adelman’s son, David Adelman, is the head coach of the Nuggets.
Rick Adelman passed away on June 1 at the age of 79.
Adelman is most famous in Rip City for serving as the head coach of Blazers teams that reached the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. He also was a player on the Blazers’ inaugural team in 1970, going on to play 237 games for the franchise over three seasons.
Following his eight-year playing career, Adelman first returned to the Blazers as an assistant coach under the also-legendary Dr. Jack Ramsay for the 1983-84 season. He coached under Ramsay and then Mike Schuler in Portland before taking over as head coach in the midst of the 1988-89 season. Adelman served as Portland’s head coach for five more seasons before departing after the 1993-94 season.
Adelman’s head coaching run in Portland was flushed with success, headlined by a 291-154 regular-season record, three consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances, and those two trips to the NBA Finals.
After his time in Portland, Adelman went on to serve as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors (1995-1997), Sacramento Kings (1998-2006), Houston Rockets (2007-2011) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2011-2014). He amassed 1,042 career wins.
Adelman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
