During the Portland Trail Blazers’ debut season, a phrase with no meaning came about and rooted itself in the team’s culture forever. On February 18, 1971, the team came back from down over 20 points and found themselves in position to tie the game at the end of the fourth quarter. As Jim Barnett’s half-court shot went in to tie it up, legendary Trail Blazers announcer, Bill Schonely, exclaimed: “RIP CITY, ALRIGHT!” While even Schonely did not know where the phrase came from, it stuck, and the rest is history. “Rip City” has stayed associated with the team, including many jerseys that have featured the phrase and a statue with these words right outside their arena. Portland is a proud fanbase, and young guard Keon Johnson gave them excitement during his time there. The 2021 first-round pick has elite athleticism and physicality that helps him on the offensive and defensive ends and will continue to grow as a player.

This image is autographed by Keon Johnson with a silver paint pen. Johnson’s signature was witnessed by an Upper Deck representative as part of UDA’s 5-step authentication process.