[14][15] The Trail Blazers' 37 playoff appearances rank fourth in the NBA only behind the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs since the team's inception in 1970.

[16] Six Hall of Fame players have played for the Trail Blazers (Lenny Wilkens, Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Dražen Petrović, Arvydas Sabonis, and Scottie Pippen).

[19] Sports promoter and Trail Blazers founder Harry Glickman sought a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise for Portland as far back as 1955 when he proposed two new expansion teams, the other to be located in Los Angeles.

[20] When the Memorial Coliseum was opened in 1960 Glickman saw the potential it could serve as a professional basketball venue but it was not until February 6, 1970, that the NBA board of governors granted him the rights to a franchise in Portland.

[21] To raise the money for the $3.7 million admission tax, Glickman associated himself to real estate magnates Robert Schmertz of New Jersey, Larry Weinberg of Los Angeles and Herman Sarkowsky of Seattle.

The name "Trail Blazers" received 172 entries, and was ultimately selected by the judging panel, being revealed on March 13 in the halftime of a SuperSonics game at the Memorial Coliseum.

Derived from the trail blazing activity by explorers making paths through forests, Glickman considered it a name that could "reflect both the ruggedness of the Pacific Northwest and the start of a major league era in our state".

[23] While not directly connected, the Portland Trail Blazers do bear the namesake of the Salem Trailblazers who played in the Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League (PCPBL).

[citation needed] Along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Buffalo Braves (now Los Angeles Clippers), the Trail Blazers entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team, under coach Rolland Todd.

Key players for the Blazers during the early 1980s included Mychal Thompson, Billy Ray Bates, Fat Lever, Darnell Valentine, Wayne Cooper, T. R. Dunn, Jim Paxson, and Calvin Natt.

[24] That following off-season, the team drafted two players from behind the Iron Curtain, Arvydas Sabonis and Dražen Petrović,[34] and sent Thompson to the San Antonio Spurs for former Oregon State University star Steve Johnson.

[28] Whitsitt, known as "Trader Bob" for his penchant for engaging player-exchange transactions,[52] immediately set about revamping the Blazers roster; this included dismantling the aging Drexler-led team that had twice been to the finals.

Isaiah Rider was traded to the team by the Minnesota Timberwolves for a draft pick, and was considered to be a problematic player due to his previous arrests for assault, gambling and marijuana possession.

Tensions continued to rise within the franchise and media outlets started reporting on the teams internal personnel issues and the criminal activity that players were involved in.

[73] More transactions followed as the Blazers traded Steve Smith to the Spurs for Derek Anderson, but issues began when Shawn Kemp checked himself into a rehab for cocaine use in April 2001.

That same season, Whitsitt made one of his most controversial moves in signing free agent Ruben Patterson, who had previously pleaded no contest to a felony sexual assault charge and was required to register as a sex offender.

Believing the team could make a playoff run, Cho made a trade on February 24, 2011, sending Dante Cunningham, Joel Przybilla, and Sean Marks to the Charlotte Bobcats for former All-Star Gerald Wallace.

[121] However, despite the Blazers remaining among the playoff contenders for most of the season, injuries to starters Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Matthews, as well as a losing streak of 13 games – the longest in the franchise's history – led to the 11th position in the West, with a 33–49 record.

More injuries appeared around the start of the new year, which caused Aldridge, Batum, and Joel Freeland to miss various amounts of time, but none greater than Wesley Matthews' season-ending Achilles tendon tear on March 5, 2015.

In the 2015 NBA draft, the Blazers selected Arizona forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and subsequently traded him to the Brooklyn Nets along with Steve Blake for center Mason Plumlee and the 42nd pick, Pat Connaughton.

According to Chris McGowan, president and CEO of the Trail Blazers, "Together, we landed on subtle changes that provide a nod to our past while allowing us to modernize other aspects of our creative assets.

On September 27, 2023, the Blazers acquired All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, 2018 Draft first pick Deandre Ayton, and Toumani Camara as part of a trade that sent Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkić, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson to the Phoenix Suns.

[23][161] The logo has gone from a vertical alignment to a slanted one starting in the 1991 season, creating a straight edge along the top[162] The Blazers' initial uniforms were white at home and red on the road.

[165] They also changed their red alternate uniform to include a black and grey variation of the "blaze" strip inspired from the team's pinwheel logo and a lack of white elements.

[185] The post of chief operating officer is vacant; the most recent COO of the team was Mike Golub, who resigned in July 2008 to take a more enhanced role with VSE.

The Moda Center, originally named the Rose Garden, opened in 1995 and can seat a total of 19,980 spectators for basketball games; capacity increases to 20,580 with standing room.

After having to resort to providing closed circuit feeds directly to bars, and sublicensing a package of games to the local PAX TV station, ASCN folded after one season.

The team had originally considered an arrangement with KPTV, under which games would be broadcast over-the-air and simulcast via an Internet service, but deals with potential streaming partners fell through.

Notable local journalists to cover the team include John Canzano of the Oregonian, Jason Quick of The Athletic, and Dwight Jaynes of the Portland Tribune.

During the Steve Patterson era, relations between the two institutions became increasingly hostile; several NBA executives told ESPN's Chris Sheridan that the situation was the "most dysfunctional media-team relationship" that they could recall.