PORTLAND, OR – NOVEMBER 13: Rasheed Wallace #30 of the Portland Trail Blazers argues with the referee as teammate Damon Stoudamire #3 holds him back during a NBA game against the Sacramento Kings November 13, 2003 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

UPDATE: We have been informed that the “Jail Blazers” documentary is being produced for HBO, not ESPN. This was also confirmed by Portland’s 1080 The Fan, where Damon Stoudamire originally broke the news. 

The Portland Trail Blazers of the early 2000s are seemingly the ideal reason for a documentary series like 30 for 30 (or a news magazine like Outside the Lines) to be created. No, their story isn’t necessarily one of a rise to glory followed by a fall from grace, but this Blazers team was certainly a compelling bunch, though surely not for the reasons the Portland front office would have envisioned.

Earning the nickname “Jail Blazers” alone is surely worthy of a 30 for 30 documentary. Apparently, producers of the series agree.

Damon Stoudamire, who was a point guard during that tumultuous era of Trail Blazers basketball, revealed during an appearance on a Portland sports talk radio show that ESPN is indeed producing a film about that team, which became far more infamous for what its players were doing off the court than famous for what they were achieving on the court.

“We got a lot of people on board,” Stoudamire said on the Dirt and Sprague show, via Oregon Live. “It’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be so interesting it might be two parts.”

Stoudamire contributed to that saga, having been pulled over along with teammate Rasheed Wallace and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2002. The two players were driving back to Portland from Seattle, rather than riding the team bus. Qyntel Woods later became another player charged with marijuana possession (and was later charged with misdemeanor animal abuse for his involvement with dog fighting).

Wallace also provided one of the best postgame quotes and performances ever following a 98-78 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of their 2003 first-round playoff series.

Other Trail Blazers that made the “Jail Blazers” nickname stick included Shawn Kemp, who entered rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. Zach Randolph was charged with underage drinking and later accused of sexually assaulting a stripper. Ruben Patterson was arrested on domestic abuse charges. (Randolph and Patterson were also reportedly involved in a fight during practice.) Bonzi Wells was suspended for hitting a referee, and both he and Darius Miles drew suspensions for arguments with head coach Maurice Cheeks (who must have felt woefully underpaid).

Wow, is this going to be a two-hour feature or a one-hour documentary? One hour might not be enough to detail all of the transgressions on the Jail Blazers’ ledger. And somehow those teams still managed to win 50 games and make the NBA playoffs (though they were eliminated in the first round). All of this should make for fun viewing. Well… maybe not for Trail Blazers fans who remember that era, nor anyone involved with the team at that time.

You can listen to the Stoudamire interview from Portland’s 1080 The Fan here.

[The Columbian]

About Ian Casselberry

Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.