Former UConn Star Breaks Trail Blazers Record Previously Held By Hall Of Famer
When you’re mentioned in the same breath as Bill Walton, things are going well for you in life.
That’s precisely the case for former UConn Huskies and current Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan.
Friday marked 16 straight games for Clingan with a blocked shot, as the 20-year-old center finished with two rejections in a loss to the Houston Rockets. Those 16 games also happen to be the first 16 of Clingan’s NBA career.
Clingan now holds the Trail Blazers rookie record for consecutive games with a block, surpassing the late, great Walton’s mark of 15 straight games with a rejection in the 1974-75 season.
Clingan added to the record with another three-block game on Saturday (a win over Houston), bringing his streak to 17 games.
Entering any statistical category affiliated with Walton is a massive badge of honor for Clingan.
Walton’s time in Portland was nothing short of legendary. The Hall of Fame center was drafted out of UCLA by Portland with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft. In just his third NBA season, Walton led the league in rebounding and blocks on the way to an All-Star selection, NBA championship, and NBA Finals MVP trophy.
Walton followed that up by winning NBA MVP the following season (1977-78), his last with Portland.
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org