Fans Stunned by Transformation of Former Trail Blazers Center

Blazers couldn't believe the transformation that a former player made.

Jan 17, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detailed view of a Portland Trail Blazers logo warmup jersey before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers have had a lot of solid players play for them over the years. Perhaps no one has been more polarizing than center Hassan Whiteside.

Whiteside was frustrating for a lot of fans over the years. He played for a lot of teams during his NBA career, including the Trail Blazers.

Whiteside played for the Blazers for one season and was their starting center. The Blazers opted not to bring him back, which wasn't shocking at the time.

After playing for the Jazz in the 2021-22 season, Whiteside hasn't played in the NBA since. He is currently playing overseas.

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Whiteside is currently playing in Puerto Rico at the age of 35. He has very little hope of getting back into the NBA at this point, but he still loves to play basketball.

Fans are shocked about his transformation, though. Take a look at how jacked Whiteside is now.

NBA fans could not believe how muscular Whiteside is at this point in his basketball career.

Had Whiteside been a little stronger and a little more disciplined while he played for Portland, they may have been inclined to keep him. His defense was always the problem.

Whiteside would always try to block shots, which would make him prone to jumping in the air and getting fooled on pump fakes. He also would roam around when he wasn't supposed to.

Those issues led the Trail Blazers to move on from him, which was understandable. Still, he played for a long time in the NBA and made a lot of money.

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Whiteside will likely get a chance to play as long as he wants in Puerto Rico. The talent in that league is not exactly the strongest in the world.

Portland is focused on getting the offseason correct. They gave contract extensions to both GM Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups.

Now, it's up to them to put the pieces together so they have a team that is good enough to actually compete for a playoff spot.

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