11:40 AM PDT on Monday, August 1, 2005

Associated Press

Former Portland Trail Blazer standout Maurice Lucas, a member of the 1977 NBA championship squad, will return as an assistant coach, the team said Monday.

Trail Blazers archives

Maurice Lucas in 1977.

Lucas, a five-time All-Star in the ABA/NBA, finished his playing career with Portland in the 1987-88 season as an assistant coach under coaches Mike Schuler and Rick Adleman.

He was vice president of the NBA Players Association for eight years and is a member of the board of directors of the Retired Players Association.

"Maurice Lucas was an established veteran in Seattle my rookie season. I gained immediate respect for his ability to communicate and mentor young NBA players," said the Trail Blazers' new head coach Nate McMillan.

"I look forward to watching him work with our young team and sharing his expertise with the post players," he added.

Since leaving the NBA, Maurice has founded successful business ventures including the Lucas Investment Properties, Travel Planners Inc. and ML Sports, which focuses on event planning and management.

"Its a great opportunity to be back on the bench again where I feel I can share my experiences in the NBA with the youthful personnel that we have," said Lucas, who lives in Portland.