Second Former Trail Blazers Star Center Passes Away Far Too Soon

A former Portland Trail Blazers star center and first round pick has passed away.

Sep 30, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Justin Minaya (10). Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The NBA world, including the Portland Trail Blazers, was struck by tragedy.

It was announced this past weekend that former star NBA center and former Trail Blazers center Joe Wolf had passed away. 

He was 59 years old. His cause of death is not confirmed, but it is suspected to be a heart attack. 

When he passed, Wolf was serving as an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate.

“Throughout his life, Joe touched many lives and was a highly respected, adored and dedicated coach and player across the NBA,” the Bucks said in their statement. “His well-regarded talent was instrumental for the Bucks and Herd over eight years with the organization, including as a player and coach.”

Wolf played in the NBA for 11 seasons, one of which was in Portland. He was with the Trail Blazers for the 1992-93 season, playing in 21 games and averaging 2.5 points per game, 2.1 rebounds, 0.2 assists, and 0.3 steals while playing 4.4 minutes per game. 

Wolf shot 46.5 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the charity stripe. 

Outside of the Trail Balzers, Wolf played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Orland Magic, and the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Wolf was the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, the No. 13 overall pick. After his playing career, he segued into coaching, using skills he and Hall of Fame head coach Dean Smith had honed throughout their careers to train a new generation of basketball players.

Wolf had this to say about his coaching style back in 2018. 

“I like to think I started getting trained the minute I stepped on campus,” Wolf told the Greensboro News and Record in 2018 (via ). “Coach Smith was all about building the proper habits. That benefits me today.”

Prior to his NBA career, Wolf had a solid college career at the University of North Carolina. In his time as a Tar Heel, he was named First-team All-ACC in 1987. Before his time in Chapel Hill, Wolf was one of the most successful high school players in Wisconsin state history. 

Wolf attended Kohler High School to three Wisconsin state championships. In 2005, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel named him the state's greatest high school basketball player ever.

He had coached at the college level as an assistant at Wiliams & Mary and UNC Wilmington and was a head coach in what is now called the G League with Idaho, Colorado, and Greensboro. 

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