Darnell Valentine left his mark on the Portland Trail Blazers

Darnell Valentine left his mark on the Portland Trail Blazers during his four and half seasons after being a first-round draft choice (No. 16 overall pick) in 1981. Valentine endeared himself to coach Jack Ramsay, his teammates, and fans with his non-stop hustle, tenacious defense, gritty determination, great playmaking and charming personality.

The 6-1 point guard and former KU All-American averaged 9.8 points, 5.4 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 44.9 percent from the field in 300 regular-season games. Not great numbers, but his game simply transcended statistics.

Just listen to Ramsay, who wrote about Valentine in his 2004 book, Dr. Jack’s Leadership Lessons Learned From A Lifetime In Basketball. Under the caption, “Heart of a Champion,” Ramsay gushed over Valentine.

“Many of the players I coached who weren’t among the team’s most gifted players were the hardest workers and made maximum use of their skills. Darnell Valentine was perhaps the most self-disciplined player I ever dealt with.

“DV — who had watermelon-sized quads, a strong upper body and excellent quickness handling the ball and defending — worked fanatically on his conditioning. He was on the floor an hour before practice, working on his defensive footwork, pull-up jumpers, or full-court drives to the hoop. Then he would stretch for about 15 minutes before the team practice began. He was also extremely careful about his diet. He ate primarily foods high in carbohydrates and supplemented them with enough protein and fat to fuel his extraordinary energy level. Valentine even brought his own food blender with him on road trips and often boarded the team bus carrying large bags of fruit and veggies, which he offered to everyone. In addition to his fierce work ethic, relentless self-discipline and powerful will to win, he always wore a smile and was one of the best team players I ever coached.”

And just listen to Stu Inman, the Blazers longtime director of player personnel. Steve Duin of The Oregonian wrote on Jan. 31, 2007 after Inman died that “he understood what the Jerome Kerseys, Darnell Valentines and Terry Porters brought to a franchise...He had an eye for talent and a gift for labeling it in a manner you never forgot. 

“Valentine? ‘He has a beautiful relationship with a loose ball,’” Inman once said.

Indeed, he did. Valentine never saw a loose ball or a steal he didn’t like. He carved his name as one of the best defensive guards in Blazer history. And his effort and dedication were second to none. Nobody worked any harder than Darnell Terrell Valentine.

The Oregonian ranked Valentine the No. 33 best player in franchise history in 2009. Jason Quick wrote that “whenever the playoffs rolled around for the Trail Blazers in the early 1980s, that usually meant it was time for Darnell Valentine to heat up...A point guard with tree-trunk sized thighs, Valentine had some of the most prolific passing nights in team history during the postseason. He shares the team record for assists in a playoff game with 15, set in a Game 2 loss at the Lakers in the 1983 Western Conference semifinals. In Game 3, an overtime loss, he had 14. The next season, in a first-round series with Phoenix, Valentine had 13 assists in a Game 4 win and scored 29 points in a Game 3 loss.

“In all three seasons he reached the playoffs, he raised his assists averages significantly and had a big series against Phoenix in 1984 when he averaged 18.4 points and 8.4 assists. He also ranks fifth all time in team history in playoff assists.

"I was never the greatest player during the season," Valentine said. "But when it got to playoffs, I think teams were so intent on stopping our strengths – (Jim) Paxson and (Calvin) Natt – that it allowed me to make things happen."

Quick called him “an old-school point guard, one who consumed himself with defense, passing and leadership.”

He continued:

“(Valentine) says he looks back fondly at his time with the Blazers, even though it was sprinkled with adversity and constant battles for the starting job. He was the 16th overall pick out of Kansas in the 1981 draft, and the team saw enough of him in his rookie season that they traded former starter Kelvin Ransey.

“But in the following years, Valentine battled a broken foot and a broken hand, and soon, it was Valentine who was the hunted. He eventually lost his starting role. A newcomer named Terry Porter and another upstart, Steve Colter, created a three-way battle for the starting job in the 1985-1986 season.

"It was an open competition in training camp, and I came out the starter," Valentine said. "I was playing well, but then they wanted to change directions."

A trade to Indiana “fell through.”

"Then I was a lame duck," Valentine said. "Everything was so abrupt. So I passed the baton to Terry."

Valentine, who has lived in Portland since being drafted by the franchise, loved his time as a player in Rip City, where he played in front of energized sellout home crowds of 12,666 every game at Memorial Coliseum. The Blazers were the only professional sports team in Portland, so fans were crazy about their team.

"Coming out of Kansas, I was afraid that the NBA would be an overwhelming challenge," Valentine said. "But the Blazers — the Stu Inmans, the Harry Glickmans — they embraced and cared about us, and I think that eventually was reflected in the community. And it's amazing how that regenerates itself. Portland is a special place. I could feel that right from the start.”

Valentine has a favorite story about his time in Portland.

"I had those big legs, which were probably my rite to passage,” he said. “Well, there was another player in the league who had big legs too – World B. Free – and Mychal Thompson would never let me hear the end of it. He always wondered why I couldn't jump like World B. Free. So he always called me 'Ground Jordan'."

Valentine was extremely proud of his “big legs.” John Chanson of The Oregonian wrote in 2014 about his yearly uniform fitting with Donna Millak, who had sewn Portland’s jerseys for over four decades.

"I had to shorten his shorts every year,” Millak said. “He'd say, 'I have beautiful legs. I can't hide these things.' So I'd shorten the shorts, and he'd try them on and have to go find a mirror in the back of the shop because I didn't have one at my station.

"Darnell would parade around the shop in those shorts until we got it right." 

While Valentine might have been vain about his legs, he was selfless on the court. Valentine certainly had a special relationship with Ramsay, who always emphasized team basketball. When I interviewed Valentine with a group of reporters before his jersey retirement ceremony at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 1, 2005, I relayed to him that Ramsay said he was “one of the best team players (he) ever coached.”

Valentine was extremely humbled by Ramsay’s words.

“Coming from him, that’s an incredible compliment. I appreciate that,” Valentine said. “We did a lot of things alike. We thought alike. Even when I was traded to the Clippers, I understand the business of basketball now, sometimes it’s not about the coach and it’s not about your playing. It’s a business. Sometimes, things are done by committee. Jack and I, we had a great relationship.”

Valentine and Ramsay were both fitness fanatics and once went on a long bike ride together. D.V. spoke more about Ramsay to Canzano on his 750 The Game radio show in 2014 after his former coach died.

“He was a great, great man,” Valentine said. “He just touched everybody in such a personable way that I had nothing but respect. I remember me being a player trying to find my way here and trying to find whatever advantages I could to compete because I wasn’t the fastest, I didn’t jump the highest, I wasn’t the biggest guy. He invited me to go on a bike ride. The bike ride was from Portland to Seaside (about 79 miles). He never stopped. I was on the sideline, I was on the side of the street hoping some wind would hit me because I was resting and he would never stop. He shared his conditioning and getting the most out of yourself is beyond just basketball condition. 

“He was a triathlete, he trained as a triathlete. He would swim, bike, his discipline, his consistency, doing it every day after practice, coaching. To this day, I bought into being a well-rounded conditioned person. I wouldn’t define myself as an athlete anymore, but just my quality of life and him touching me at that time has paid dividends for me today. I’m active and still doing the things that he indebted to me at that time. He’s way beyond just a basketball coach and I think the number of people he touched and changed their lives, just too many to number. He was like the father of Portland. 

“... He’s reverenced. It’s a sad day in Portland today.”

Valentine added that Ramsay had “a sense of humor, but he was disciplined. He wanted plays run the way he wanted them to be run.”

And Valentine was the consummate point guard to run Ramsay’s complex offensive system. Unlike at KU, he always thought pass and team first and getting the ball to scorers like Paxson, Natt, Clyde Drexler and Kiki Vandeweghe.

Blazers Edge’s Dave Deckard ranked Valentine No. 55 among Portland top’s players, executives and other influencers on April 12, 2020.

Under the headline: “The Invisible Point Guard,” Deckard wrote:

“Legendary Portland Trail Blazers Coach Jack Ramsay was a physical fitness buff. He encouraged players to run, develop endurance, and stay fit as part of their regimen. With point guard Darnell Valentine, he needn’t have bothered. The 1981 draftee was way ahead of the program.

“Valentine played with a chiseled body, massive legs, and a commitment to playing the game the way it was meant to be played. For a point guard that meant passing, defense, and having a head on swivel. Valentine seldom failed in any of those departments. He may not have been the best point guard on the roster at any given time. At various times Kelvin Ransey, Fat Lever, Steve Colter, and Terry Porter all shared a locker room with Darnell. Like BBQ chips and those colored wedding mints, the Blazers couldn’t stop themselves from going back for more Valentine.

"Efficiency typified Valentine’s game. He didn’t score a ton because he didn’t take a lot of shots. His 45% average from the field indicated not just shooting skill, but a sharp eye for when and how to get his looks. His per-minute assist and steals rates were equal to, sometimes above, Lever’s. And oh, what he did in the playoffs. The combination of stamina and smarts served him well when everybody else was playing their 92nd game of the season. 

“In 1983-84 against a STACKED Phoenix Suns team, Valentine would average 18.4 points, 8.4 assists, 1.8 steals, and 50% shooting...all above his regular-season numbers. He knew when, and how, to turn it on while still fitting in with all the higher-rotation players around him. Despite the constant swirl of point guards around him, Valentine’s playing time increased through 1985, but he battled injuries throughout. When Porter came on board, the writing was on the wall. The Blazers traded Valentine to the Los Angeles Clippers for a draft pick that would later become Arvydas Sabonis...one last assist on the way out the door. In the early Brandon Roy years, Valentine would return to the franchise, working with the young Blazers on personal development. He was also active with the NBA Players Association for many years.

“For being the right guy in so many different situations, providing an example of old-school point guard ethic, and the marvelous playoffs runs, Darnell Valentine earns the 55th spot in our Top 100 List of Trail Blazers players and influencers.”

Some readers and Blazer fans posted comments online after reading the article. One wrote: “I’m going to be happy with his ranking here. My memory of Darnell was of a dedicated worker. He worked hard on the court, and also worked hard as an athlete off the court. I think Jack Ramsay liked Darnell because they both shared similar work out ethics and approach. Darnell was a great athlete. If you were ranking ONLY that characteristic, he would be near the top.”

Another fan agreed:

“That’s exactly what I remember too. He was text book when it came to his shooting. Perfect form and great rotation on the ball. Everything he did was exactly how you would want to teach your kids how to play basketball.”

With his unwavering work ethic, tremendous self-discipline, great playoff performances and positive attitude, Valentine left his legacy in Portland and remains one of the franchise’s most popular players. And this Kansas native still feels the love in his adopted home while working as an employee specialist for Precision Castparts since 2007, a Fortune 500 company and worldwide manufacturer of complex metal components and products.

“Once you’ve played there, it’s like you’re always a member of the Portland Trail Blazers,” Valentine said in 2005 at Allen Fieldhouse.

“There's not a more supportive community for players in the NBA than Portland,” Valentine added to the Portland Tribune in 2017. “There are no better fans or people. That's the first thing that resonated with me. I love the positivity here. I'm a West Coast kind of guy, and I'm from Kansas, so I love Portland's weather. I love the city. My wife is from here. Portland has been an anchor for me. And I love what I do with Precision Castparts.”

Portland trades former Jayhawk great Darnell Valentine to Los Angeles Clippers

The Portland Trail Blazers had a habit of drafting point guards in the early 1980s. The franchise selected Kelvin Ransey (1980), Darnell Valentine (1981) and Fat Lever (1982) during the first round, and then Steve Colter (1984) in the second round.

With Valentine and Colter still in Portland, would the Blazers pull the trigger and select yet another point guard in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft?

That’s exactly what they did when Portland picked Terry Porter from Wisconsin-Stevens Point, an NCAA Division III school, with the 24th overall selection and last pick in the first round. The Blazers saw something they liked out of this promising guard and future Portland great, despite playing forward at just 6-3 in college and at times guarding the opposing team’s center.

Now, with three point guards on the roster, it appeared someone had to go. With Colter’s emergence last season and Valentine entering the last year on his contract and becoming a free agent next year, he seemed to be a marked man. Portland was looking to trade him before the season began, with his most likely destination the Chicago Bulls, who had just selected budding superstar Michael Jordan in last year’s draft, the reigning Rookie of the Year who averaged 28.2 points per game in 1984-85.

In a Sept. 24, 1985 article in the Chicago Tribune, Bob Sakamoto wrote:

“If the Bulls have the heart, they may get their Valentine. The Bulls are looking to acquire the Portland Trail Blazers’ Darnell Valentine to fill a gaping hole at point guard. But the price for the four-year veteran could be power forward Sidney Green, which may be too steep.”

Sakamoto continued:

“Portland has three point guards and a shortage of power forwards. The Bulls have three power forwards and zero point guards. It’s a natural.”

But there were complications in the possible trade.

“A National Basketball Association source close to Portland said the Bulls are hesitant to part with Green,” Sakamoto wrote. “What Chicago is doing, he said, is waiting it out until Portland realizes it must move Valentine. Then the Bulls will offer the Blazers two second-round picks in the 1986 draft, their own and one they got from Dallas, for Valentine.

“But how long do the Bulls wait? There are indications Valentine will be traded before the season begins in late October.”

''There are only so many minutes for our point guards,'' Portland general manager Stu Inman said. ''We like all of them, but there is only room for two. If we were to make a trade, it would be for a player in the category of a Sidney Green. We would go that way. If we couldn't get a big forward, we would settle for draft choices.''

Sakamoto reported that “the Blazers like second-year playmaker Steve Colter and have big plans for first-round draft choice Terry Porter of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. That would seem to leave Valentine, who was born in Chicago, as the odd man out.”

''He is the kind of selfless guard who stands out defensively and can get the ball to the right people,'' Inman said. ''He has a decent outside shot. If you leave him wide open, he will hit it, absolutely.''

“Darnell Valentine is looking to move, and Chicago is his No. 1 choice,'' the NBA source said. ''He is just the player Chicago needs. Don’t let (Bulls’ vice president of operations) Jerry Krause fool you. They’re not going to play Jordan and (Quintin) Dailey together. That`s just what all the other teams in the NBA would love to see.''

Sakamoto wrote that with “new Bulls’ coach Stan Albeck emphasizing a fast-paced, transition offense, opening up the court for Jordan and forward Orlando Woolridge, Valentine would fit better than either (Jon) Paxson or (Kyle) Macy, with whom the Bulls have also talked.”

''He is more geared to an uptempo game,'' Inman said about Valentine.

However, the trade never happened with Valentine. The Bulls eventually acquired Paxson on Oct. 29 as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs receiving cash as compensation.

So Valentine began his fifth season in Portland, while he didn’t know how long he’d still be a Blazer. He actually started the first 27 games before Portland coach Jack Ramsay replaced him in the starting lineup with Colter on Dec. 17. Ramsay said Valentine wouldn’t play anymore and the Blazers were looking to move him. Valentine requested not to accompany the team on road trips.

“I feel like a man without a country,” the former KU standout said while out of action for a month before playing one more game against New York on Jan. 11, 1986.

He played OK during those 28 games, but his game slipped. Valentine averaged career lows in points (9.1 ppg) and assists (5.0 apg) in 26.2 minutes per game, while also averaging 1.8 steals per game. He shot 44.7 percent from the field and a career low 71.0 percent at the charity stripe.

Valentine scored in double digits the first five of seven games of the season, and then scored in double figures six of his next eight games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 3, capping that stretch with a season-high 18 points against Washington. He also scored 16 points three times in 28 games. Suddenly, after Dec. 3, Valentine’s playing time diminished and he went seven games without scoring in double digits.

He then went from Dec. 13 without playing a game until Jan. 11 versus the Knicks, only because Jim Paxson was out with a minor injury. Valentine played just six minutes and scored two points.

Finally, on Jan. 14, 1986, Valentine and Portland got their wish; the Blazers traded the veteran point guard to the Los Angeles Clippers for L.A.’s first-round draft pick in 1986. The teams also swapped 1988 second-round picks.

At last, Valentine had a new home.

“'I wish it would have happened smoother,” Valentine told the UPI on Jan. 15. “But now I can continue with my career.”

“I'm happy for Darnell,” Portland coach Jack Ramsay said. “He's going to a team that wants him. We came out of it with about as much as we could have hoped for.”

Valentine loved his time in Portland, but wished this could have been dealt better.

“The organization has been great to me,” he said. “However, it was unfortunate the way things unwound. It wasn't handled as well as I would have liked, but I'm happy to be out. It was like I was a marked guy, everyone knew the situation. I'm happy it's done and I can go about my career.

“The only part about me leaving and going to a team that is struggling is that Portland is going to be a great team,” Valentine added.

Sam McManis of the Los Angeles Times reported that  Clippers general manager Carl Scheer said “it took him ‘no more than a second’ to complete Tuesday’s trade, which management and Coach Don Chaney agreed upon after a quick evaluation of the Clippers’ 1-6 record on the trip.”

“This franchise is not going to be successful until it gets good players,” said Scheer, “who had been talking to Portland about Valentine for three weeks.”

“Point guard is not our most pressing area, but we would not have gotten a player of Valentine’s quality with Boston’s pick (which figures to be either 22nd or 23rd),” Scheer added.

The Clippers already boasted All-Star point guard Norm Nixon. But, McManis wrote that “Nixon, 30, has been inconsistent after missing nearly a month of the season during his free-agent holdout and is not considered to be as good a defensive player as Valentine, 26.”

The Clippers also had Franklin Edwards, a third point guard, who was backing up Nixon.

McManis added that “Nixon and Valentine will have to co-exist. Nixon, when asked recently about the possibility of splitting playing time with Valentine, expressed concern.”

“If this team was 27-12 instead of 12-27 and was breaking up a good combination, I’d be concerned with the fact that Norm is concerned, if, in fact, he is. Nixon is concerned with winning, and, with Valentine, we’re improving our team,” Scheer said.

McManis wrote “there are several reasons why Valentine became expendable. Ramsay felt that second-year man Steve Colter and rookie Terry Porter fit into his plans more than Valentine, and the coach also has had recent success using the tandem of big guards Jim Paxson and Clyde Drexler. Another factor is that Valentine will become a free agent after this season and would have sought a more lucrative contract.”

Valentine’s salary was worth $265,000 ($175,000 cash).

He was eager for new beginnings in L.A, despite going from a perennial playoff team to a lowly franchise.

“I'm excited to be a part of the Clipper organization now,” Valentine said. “I'm looking forward to getting down to L.A. and having the opportunity to play.”

Darnell Valentine shines in playoffs during Year 3 of NBA with Portland Trail Blazers

Darnell Valentine can’t stop pushing. He can’t stop running. Valentine can’t stop wanting to be the best. Not now, not after realizing his lifetime NBA dream, not after winning the starting point guard battle over Fat Lever last season, not after painfully missing 35 games with a broken foot, and certainly not after rebounding from that injury by playing the best basketball of his pro career in the playoffs.

Valentine, now entering his third NBA season with the Portland Trail Blazers, wants more. 

Much more. 

That’s why he’s been sweating and running all offseason while knowing he’ll have to beat out Lever again for the starting job and help the Blazers build on their playoff success last year, where they lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Darnell will run all day; you run with him or you’re left out,” Portland teammate Calvin Natt said. “He’s been running six or seven miles each morning (all summer). If Darnell starts, we’ll run more with more fast breaks.”

Valentine was rewarded with his hard work by earning the starting point guard spot. But he was not the clear winner. Lever was a great player in own right, and the two guards couldn’t really separate much between each other.

Valentine started the first 34 games before being injured at the start of the New Year, missing 14 games. He resumed play on Feb. 5 as Lever continued to start for eight more games before Valentine replaced him in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season.

Valentine started 60 of 68 games, averaging 10.2 points (down from 12.5 ppg last season), 5.8 assists (decrease from 6.2 apg), 1.9 rebounds (down from 2.5 rpg) and 1.6 steals (2.1 spg in 1982-83) in 27.8 minutes per game (27.6 mpg last year). His shooting percentage also decreased from 45.4 percent to 44.7 percent and Valentine’s free throw percentage was slightly down, too, from 79.3 to 78.9.

Lever, meanwhile, started 22 of 81 games and averaged 9.7 points, 4.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 24.8 minutes per contest.

I remember once reading that Portland center Mychal Thompson said Valentine kept worrying about Lever and looking over his shoulder at him, while Lever didn’t mind splitting time with D.V.

In any case, the two point guards made a great tandem to pair with star shooting guard Jim Paxson (team-high 21.3 ppg) with rising rookie and first-round draft choice Clyde Drexler backing him up. Valentine marveled at Paxson’s skills, a great, creative shooter who was a master of moving without the ball.

“He surprises me. Some of the shots he’s able to make are incredible,” Valentine told The Sporting News. “He’s always looking for ways to catch you off guard. Even in practice, he’s looking for ways to invent his own plays.” 

My dad and I used to lament how Valentine would dribble the ball upcourt, then pass the ball and stand in the corner while the other players ran set plays. Portland coach Jack Ramsay ran a very complex and sophisticated offense. He was very structured in games and also practices.

“It’s so complicated, even some of the veterans don’t know the plays,” Lever said about the offense. “With Ramsay, you either have to know what you are doing and be great at faking it.”

Valentine tied his career high with 24 points in a win over Houston on Nov. 8, 1983, while adding five steals in 39 minutes. He also dished a career-high 15 assists during a loss to Denver on March 11, 1984, while recording a career-high 43 minutes in a thrilling 156-155 four overtime defeat to Chicago five days later.

Portland improved its record for the second straight year (48-34) and finished in second place in the Pacific Division.

Valentine saved his best for the playoffs, just like last season, but even better this time. He averaged 18.4 points and 8.4 assists in 35.6 minutes during a five-game first-round series to Phoenix (Suns won 3-2). Valentine, who shot 50 percent from the field and a blistering 91.4 percent at the free throw line (32-35), exploded for a game-high 29 points in a Game 3 loss, including making 15 of 16 free throws, while adding 10 assists in 36 minutes. He followed that game by posting 16 points and 13 assists in 41 minutes while helping Portland win and tie the series at 2-2.

I remember jumping out of my chair in my parents’ family room watching Game 3, seeing Valentine on fire dominating the game. Not known as a scorer, Valentine seemingly scored and penetrated the lane at will. I kept yelling at the TV, “Get the ball to Darnell, get the ball to Darnell.” And his teammates did. And then I recall how heartbroken I was when the Blazers lost 106-103. But I was still thrilled that D.V. had his coming out party in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Suns (41-41 in regular season and fourth place in Pacific Division) upset the Blazers in Game 5, forcing Ramsay and Blazer management to reevaluate their franchise.

Portland then made a very controversial and blockbuster trade, sending Lever, rugged 6-6 star forward Natt, 6-10 center Wayne Cooper and two draft picks to Denver for 6-8 scoring machine Kiki Vandeweghe, who was third in the NBA in scoring last season at 29.4 points per game.

Blazer’s Edge wrote on April 11, 2020, that “it was the most audacious move the franchise had ever made.” 

Ramsay and general manager Stu Inman defended the trade. The UPI reported that Ramsay said Vandeweghe “will give the Blazers perimeter shooting from the front line, a quality Portland lacked last year.”

“To complement the players we have now, there was no better player available than Vandeweghe,” Ramsay said.

“Maybe along with Bernard King of New York he is the best offensive forward in basketball,” Ramsay added. “We are getting a player who can score from the outside, who can drive for the basket, who can run the floor well and who is a good passer, all of which are qualities we really need in our front line, and it has been very difficult for us because we lacked them.”

Inman called Vandeweghe “as consummate a small forward as there is in the league at the offensive end of the court.”

“As we are seeing in the playoffs, there is so much double-teaming that kicking the ball back to people who can flat-out drill it is helpful.”

With Lever gone, Valentine was the only point guard on the Portland roster. Ramsay said the Blazers need a backup “who can run the break well, maybe a little better than Fat could, and give us some outside shooting.”

While it remained to be seen if the Blazers would make another trade for a point guard or select one in the 1984 NBA Draft, one matter now remained certain: Darnell Valentine had to be feeling pretty good that he no longer had to look over his shoulder at Fat Lever.

Little, though, did Valentine, Portland and anyone in the league know at the time that Lever would emerge as an All-Star with the Nuggets and one of the best all-around point guards in the NBA.

Darnell Valentine realizes lifetime NBA dream

After ending his memorable KU career as an All-American and the only four-time first-team All-Big Eight selection in league history and the all-time school leader in assists, steals and free throws made, Darnell Valentine was a lock to be selected in the first round of the June 9, 1981 NBA Draft. 

It was just a matter of how high the point guard would go.

I had heard on the news the previous night of the draft that head coach Larry Brown’s New Jersey Nets were considering drafting Valentine. The Nets held the No. 3 and No. 10 picks in the first round. Of course, he wouldn’t be selected with the third pick, but I thought he had a chance to go as high as No. 10.

I was giddy with anticipation of where my all-time favorite Jayhawk would be selected and had waited for months until draft day. I remember calling my best friend and being so upset that he didn’t know the day of the draft. Clearly, he wasn’t near the Valentine fan that I was, but that was OK in retrospect. At the time, however, I just couldn’t understand how my friend, who was a big Jayhawk fan, wasn’t as interested in Valentine’s NBA fortunes as I was.

While there was no doubt Valentine was a tremendous defensive player, NBA scouts still questioned his shooting.

In the June 8, 1981 Sports Illustrated issue, Dallas Mavericks scout Richie O’Çonnor broke down Valentine’s game:

“Great body, but can't shoot a lick. Plays solid defense, knows how to run a team, but too often lapses into a runaway style, meaning that he'll penetrate the middle, leave his feet and, like Washington's Kevin Porter, will throw the ball away. But if he can be controlled, he can play.”

The Portland Trail Blazers, led by general manager Stu Inman and head coach Jack Ramsay, certainly thought Valentine could play at the top level. The Blazers made the former KU standout their No. 16 pick in the first round, just after selecting ex-Virginia star swingman Jeff Lamp with their 15th pick. Valentine was the third point guard taken in the draft behind Isiah Thomas (No. 2 pick) and Frank Johnson (No. 11).

And just like that, Valentine’s lifetime NBA dream came true. From his early days in Wichita playing Biddy Basketball to all those extra sprints and drills in high school and at KU, his hard work had finally paid off. 

He was now in the NBA as a Portland Trail Blazer. Lafayette Norwood, Valentine’s high school coach and KU assistant and close friend, felt nobody was more deserving.

“I've never been around a young man so obsessed to be a professional athlete,” Norwood told the Lawrence Journal-World on Jan. 17, 1986.

The Blazers envisioned Valentine backing up starting point guard Kelvin Ransey, who had a great rookie season last year after being the No. 4 overall pick, averaging 15.2 points and 6.9 assists per game while just one vote from tying Utah’s Darrell Griffith for Rookie of the Year. 

"I felt I should have won Rookie of the Year, but I probably didn't have the exposure," Ransey told The Oregonian in 2009. "Our team went to playoffs and (Utah) didn't. I feel I got robbed on that one."

While Ransey was a scorer, Valentine was more of a playmaker and better defensively. The pair could potentially be a formidable point guard combination with rising star Jim Paxson at shooting guard.

A few months after the draft on August 12, I turned 15 years old, still a very bright-eyed and impressionable teenager who idolized Valentine and other Jayhawks. I put Valentine on a pedestal; to me, he could simply do no wrong. My dad soon spotted Valentine at Rusty’s grocery store near our home in Lawrence and approached D.V. and asked for his autograph for me on a little brown paper bag.

Darnell wrote: “From No. 14 (his jersey number) to No. 15, then signed his name.

I still have this prized autograph somewhere in my home, which I was thrilled to get at the time. I appreciate my dad thinking of me; he clearly knew how much I worshipped D.V.

Valentine impressed the Portland brass immediately after signing his contract, which he inked late and missed rookie and summer camp. Ramsay, Ransey and assistant coach Bucky Buckwalter raved over Valentine’s play and tenacious work ethic in a UPI story on Oct. 5, 1981.

The headline in The Bulletin (a newspaper in Bend, Oregon) read: 

“Rookie winning Ramsay’s heart.”

The reporter wrote in his lead that “Darnell Valentine has stretched himself into the heart of Portland Trail Blazer coach Jack Ramsay because the rookie from Kansas has shown extra effort along with his talent.”

“...Valentine was making up for lost time by putting in working out when others have left the court. The first-round draft choice was noted during the first sessions of fall practice to be still on the court, running lines or pushing himself through slide-and-glide defensive drills.”

Asked by Ramsay if Valentine’s “desire was unusual,” the coach replied:

“He’s the only up there, isn’t he?"

“I thought before this week that he’d have problems offensively. Now I don’t think he will at all. He’s already at the point where he doesn't try to force offensive plays. He’s not a big scorer, but he won’t create any problems. He’s always balanced. And he’s a defender.”

Buckwalter took note of Valentine’s long arm length and his lateral movement.

“He doesn’t give you any breathing room,” Buckwalter said. “He’s so quick that he's right up at you before you can gain an advantage on him.”

Ransey was also deeply impressed.

“From what I’ve seen he bodies up well and he’s always reaching for the ball,” he said. “He’s a pest defender, and a lot of guards don’t like to play against that."

“Darnell played a lot of lead guard at Kansas so it (coming to the NBA) shouldn’t be a tough transition. He’ll have to go through what I did. There are quicker hands in the NBA than in college as far as passes are concerned. I’d think I could make a pass and I couldn’t. He‘s gonna have problems with that. But it shouldn’t last long.”

So why was Valentine “running lines after two hour practices?”

“You have to get in shape,” he answered. “You have to condition yourself. As a guard, I have to go 100 percent every night. You don’t do that by saying you're going to; you gotta work toward it.”

Valentine was always stretching at any break in practice in preparation for the long season.

“I try to keep my legs loose and stretched out so I can move quicker,” he said. “No matter how good a shape you’re in, if you play hard, your muscles are gonna get tight. I try to combat that by stretching. The longer you can go without getting tight the better.”

While Valentine was prepping hard for his rookie season, he was already feeling comfortable and welcome in Portland and with Blazer management. However, he admits he had a sour taste at first  about being drafted by the Trail Blazers since Valentine had bad memories of KU losing to UCLA in the first round of the 1978 NCAA Tournament in Eugene, 111 miles from Portland.

That was the only time he had been in Oregon.

“We just felt were weren’t treated very kindly,” Valentine told John Canzano of The Oregonian on his 750 The Game radio show in 2012 about the UCLA game.

“The game wasn’t officiated (well), so it always taints your view of wherever that happened. You have this bad experience, and Oregon was a bad experience, so coming out here, I wasn’t real happy. But once I got here, Stu Inman picked me up at the airport. We went over to the offices and met Harry (Glickman, president) and Larry Weinberg (owner) was there, and had a chance to meet everyone. There wasn’t a great deal of distance between me as a first-round draft choice and going right in and being introduced to the general manager and the management and the leadership of the company. I just felt like I was welcomed, I was wanted, and immediately, I felt this was the place for me.

“I haven’t left.”

Valentine, who has made his home in Portland ever since, wound up playing all 82 games that rookie season with 14 starts. He played solid, averaging 6.4 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 16.9 minutes per game, while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 76.0 percent at the free throw line.

He had a seven-game stretch (all starts) from Nov. 15 to Dec. 2 where he scored in double figures, averaging 15.0 points capped off with a career-high 19 points at Kansas City. He spoke candidly then to the Journal-World about how much he enjoyed playing in Portland.

“We had more attitudes and egos on KU’s team during my four years there,” Valentine said. “No one is ever bickering here. It’s a good atmosphere. It’s like a family.”

Darnell Valentine was, in some ways, a part of my family and how I bonded with my dad. My dad, who was also a big Valentine fan, always talked with me about how Valentine was doing in the NBA. We regularly checked his box scores in the newspaper. My dad thought Darnell could have a career like Jo Jo White, the former KU All-American who starred for the Boston Celtics and is enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

My dad and I decided to see Valentine and Portland play the Kansas City Kings at Kemper Arena in K.C. on Feb. 24, 1982. We had talked about the possibility beforehand of writing Ramsay and asking him to play Valentine more since he was coming home in front of his fans. But we decided Ramsay probably wouldn’t agree to this request, so we nixed the idea.

 I still remember part of that game from nearly 40 years ago. Valentine subbed for Ransey and scored seven points in 17 minutes, while connecting on 2 of 3 shots, one from about 18 to 20 feet. He also was 3 of 3 at the charity stripe while adding four assists. It was pure joy watching my childhood hero and all-time favorite Jayhawk playing in the NBA, although I wished he had received more minutes.

Portland finished that season at 42-40 and fifth place in the Pacific Division, while failing to make the playoffs. But things would soon get better for Portland and Darnell Valentine. After the season on June 28, 1982, the Trail Blazers traded Ransey (career-high 16.1 points and 7.1 assists per game with 555 assists tying his franchise record that season) to Dallas for 6-10 center Wayne Cooper and a first-round draft pick in 1985.

As Jason Quick of The Oregonian reported in 2009, “Ramsay wanted a more pass-first point guard, and the team began to favor its new rookie, Darnell Valentine.”

There was also concerns about Ransey’s defense.

"They started drafting point guards, and somebody had to go," Paxson recalled.

While Ransey’s career was never the same after the trade (he lasted just six years in the NBA and retired at age 27), Valentine’s best days in Portland were just beginning as the new starting point guard in Rip City.