The 1972–73 season was the third season of the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After finishing the previous season at 18–64, the Blazers earned the first overall selection in the 1972 NBA Draft, and infamously picked LaRue Martin over future Hall-of-Famer Bob McAdoo. LaRue would average seven points per game over a four-season NBA career.The Blazers finished at 21–61, a marginal three-game improvement from the previous season.