Following the Portland Trail Blazers’ 125-103 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 30, Sixers center Andre Drummond’s large jersey sat half-folded on a chair in the Portland locker room. It was resting in front of Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan’s locker.
The uniform was painted Sixers blue with white trim and blue stars running down the sides; “PHILA” ran across the front in bold white letters. Yet, the design might as well have been all grey or white with “UCONN” emblazoned on the upper-third.
The postgame jersey swap between the 20-year-old rookie and 31-year-old veteran symbolized their membership in a special fraternity: the elite players who have passed through the men’s basketball program at the University of Connecticut, no matter the era.