In the early 2000s, the Portland Trail Blazers dazzled on the court, but off the hardwood, they earned an unflattering nickname: the Portland Jail Blazers. A new documentary coming later this spring from Netflix, Untold: Jail Blazers, digs into the issues the talented team faced away from the court.
The trailer for Untold: Jail Blazers opens with retired NBA star and champion, Rasheed Wallace, and his experience in coming to Portland in 1996 in a trade with the Washington Bullets. Wallace, despite his talent, was viewed as a tough player to coach due to his volatile nature on the court. To this day, Wallace still owns the record for most career ejections in the NBA.
The trailer mentions fellow Trail Blazers Damon Stoudamire and Bonzi Wells. In 2001, Wallace and Stoudamire were arrested for marijuana possession, a time when the league was a lot less intolerant of cannabis usage among its players. The clip also features Wells getting into scuffles with opposing teams and referees.
What cannot be denied is that for a brief period, the trio of players helped propel the team, anchored by the steady play of passing big man Arvydas Sabonis, who some say was the precursor to current NBA star Nikola Jokic.
Wallace, Stoudamire, and Wells all appear in the trailer for the documentary, telling their sides of the story, with Wells and Stoudamire now able to chuckle about their antics from their playing days.
Untold: Jail Blazers is set to air on April 14. Check out the trailer below.
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Photo: Getty
