The Portland Trail Blazers have announced that they will dedicate the 2010-2011 NBA season to former player and assistant Maurice Lucas, who passed away on Sunday after fighting bladder cancer, and will wear commemorative "No. 20" patches on their jerseys.
TRAIL BLAZERS DEDICATE SEASON TO MAURICE LUCAS
Team to honor NBA legend throughout the 2010-2011 season
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Trail Blazers today announced plans to celebrate the life of Trail Blazers great Maurice Lucas throughout the 2010-11 NBA season.
The team will officially tip-off the season-long dedication to the "Enforcer" beginning with a moment of silence at the Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game Thursday night, November 4. Special team tributes honoring Lucas will be featured throughout the game, on Trail Blazers broadcasts and on a special tribute page on trailblazers.com.
Trail Blazers players will wear a memorial jersey patch for all games this season bearing Lucas's jersey number No. 20. Replicas of the memorial patch will be available for fans to purchase beginning Thursday night at the Trail Blazers Fan Shop with proceeds going to The Maurice Lucas Foundation.
The team will also establish an award that will be given annually to a Trail Blazers player who best represents the true spirit of Maurice Lucas by being a Trail Blazer both on the court and in the community.
A public memorial service for Maurice Lucas will be held in the Memorial Coliseum on Monday, November 8th at noon. Doors will open at 11 a.m. The family has asked, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the Maurice Lucas Foundation, supporting youth sports and cancer awareness. For more information on the foundation or to make a donation, please visit the following link: http://lucasswoopesbasketball.
com/maurice-lucas/
Also, in case you're interested, Clinton Street Theater in SE Portland is screening "Fast Break", a Don Zavin documentary about the 1977 NBA Champion Portland Trail Blazers, this week. Screenings are: tonight at 9 p.m., Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Thursday at 9 p.m. For more information on the documentary, Powells.com has you covered.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter