Jail Blazers

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Portland Trail Blazers were one of the winningest teams in the NBA. For nearly a decade, they won 60 percent of their regular-season games, made the playoffs every year and reached the Western Conference finals twice. But what was just as newsworthy as their on-court accomplishments was their behavior on and off the court.

Portland general manager Bob Whitsitt — who said he had “never studied chemistry in college” — built those Blazers in a similar fashion to a fantasy-league team. The players had plenty of talent, but their issues ended up being their undoing — hence the “Jail Blazers” sobriquet. Many pundits consider it the darkest period in franchise history.

The comportment of players such as Isaiah “J.R.” Rider, Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells and Ruben Patterson put a stain on the franchise that took years to erase. The author, who covered the team during this controversial period, shares the stories told by players, coaches, front-office employees and others around the team during those years when headlines resulted from behavioral mishaps as much as on-court success.

In 2018, noted author Jeff Pearlman called Jail Blazers “the year’s best sports book. …. Christ, it’s good.” Buy your own copy — autographed by the author if you like — right here.