Bill Walton was awarded the MVP award in 1978 and remains the only player to ever win that award for the franchise.
The Portland Trail Blazers have had some notable legends of the game wear their uniform throughout their history. However, no player has delivered a better season in a Trail Blazers jersey than Bill Walton during the 1977-78 season. He was named the MVP of the league in that campaign, and he remains the only player to ever win that award for the franchise.
Bill Walton – 1977-78
The 1977-78 season marked the second straight year Walton was selected to the All-Star Game. After finishing second in MVP voting the previous season, he secured the award in 1977-78, capping off a dominant run. Walton’s impact was undeniable, even though he appeared in just 58 games that season. It was a testament to how much his presence shaped the game, even though he rarely played a full season, he only appeared in more than 65 games twice during his 10-year career.
Walton averaged 18.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 blocks across 33.3 minutes per game during his MVP-winning season. The scoring numbers were Walton’s career-best mark, though it was the totality of his impact that earned him MVP honors. He averaged 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per game and shot 52.2 percent from the floor.
His best performance in the regular season came during a 118-114 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 21, when he finished with 34 points, 18 rebounds, six assists and five blocks across 42 minutes. He recorded five games with at least 30 points and grabbed double-digit rebounds in all but seven of his 58 outings. He also recorded multiple blocks 41 times, including a season-high eight swats in a 107-85 win over the Buffalo Braves on Oct. 25.
Even though Walton couldn’t lead the Trail Blazers to another title in 1977-78 as he did the year before, he was widely recognized as the best player in the league and will go down in the league’s history as the best player in the NBA during that specific campaign. Over the course of his 10-year career, Walton posted averages of 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 blocks per game while notching 468 regular-season appearances.
