PORTLAND, Ore. -- Newly enshrined Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis was taken aback by the cheers he garnered at a downtown rally Thursday in his honour. "Im very surprised," he told nearly 3,000 fans gathered in Portlands Pioneer Courthouse Square. "I dont know what to say. I appreciate you remember me." Sabonis was visiting Portland after being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last Friday. The seven-foot-three, 300-pound Lithuanian centre was a star in Europe before coming to the NBA at age 31 to play for the Trail Blazers. He spent seven seasons in Portland. Sabonis had not returned to the city in the eight years since his retirement. But it was evident Thursday he was still beloved, with fans chanting his nickname, Sabas. Former teammates Brian Grant and Chris Dudley took part in the celebration. One boy who appeared to be too young to have seen Sabonis play held a sign that read" "Sabas Rocks!" "I feel honoured to have played with Arvydas Sabonis -- one of the best players ever," Dudley said. "There was a time he was considered the best player in the world." Sabonis, a native of Kaunas, Lithuania, helped the Soviet Union win the 1988 Olympic gold medal, which included a semifinal win over the United States. He led Lithuania to bronze medals in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. The Lithuanian teams became underdog favourites because of sponsorship by the Grateful Dead. He was drafted in 1986 but didnt come to the NBA until 1995. He retired in 2001, but returned to the Blazers for one additional season in 2002-03. In 470 regular season games with the Blazers, Sabonis averaged 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He was dogged by various injuries in his later years, so NBA fans never really saw how good he was -- the elegant passing, his skilful three-pointer and dangerous hook shot. Outside the game, Sabonis was an unassuming personality, shy about using English. Grant recalled that he thought Sabonis didnt speak until one day after a fall he asked "You OK?" Asked to characterize his NBA career, Sabonis said: "First, good. Second, not good. And third, good again." Sabonis, 46, finally retired from professional basketball in 2005 after playing with his hometown Lithuanian team, Zalgiris. He is now a part owner of the Euroleague team. After the rally, Sabonis was the guest of honour at an evening reception hosted by the Trail Blazers. Mayor Sam Adams officially proclaimed Thursday "Arvydas Sabonis Day." Wholesale Jerseys China .J. - Wes Welker swears he doesnt dwell on his costly drop in the Super Bowl two years ago that could have sealed New Englands win over the New York Giants and made up for losing to them four years earlier. Wholesale Jerseys . "Because this a money generating asset, theyre under no pressure, I would assume, to sell," said Norm OReilly, a professor of sports business at the University of Ottawa. 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Bowman returned an interception 89 yards for a touchdown with 1:10 remaining, and the 49ers clinched a playoff spot with a wild 34-24 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night in the likely final game at The Stick.PORTLAND, Ore. - The grind of the season is wearing on LaMarcus Aldridge, although not enough to keep him off the court. Aldridge had an MRI on his sore right hip hours before he had 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the Trail Blazers 99-93 victory over the short-handed New Orleans Hornets on Thursday night. "Its something that has come with the short season and playing hard and getting knocked down out there," Portlands All-Star forward said. "Im just playing through it." The MRI did not reveal any damage, and Aldridge suspects he just needs rest for it to feel better. The Blazers, meanwhile, are still hoping to make the playoffs even though the odds are against them. "Weve just got to do this every night," Aldridge said. "I feel like some nights we have it. Other nights, we dont." Wesley Matthews added 18 points and Luke Babbitt had a career-high 16 points, including four 3-pointers, for Portland, 24-27 overall and 4-4 since the dismissal of head coach Nate McMillan. Marco Belinelli had 27 points and Carl Landry had 24 for the Hornets (13-38), who sit in last place in the Western Conference. New Orleans had just eight players available for the game. Landrys dunk with 4:09 left tied it at 89, Aldridges fadeaway jumper put Portland back in front, and Raymond Felton and Nicolas Batum hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 97-90 with 58.9 seconds left. "My guys fought and thats all you can ask. Weve got eight guys going up against a talented team and it goes down to the wire, theres not much you can say about your team," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "We had a chance to win and just didnt pull it out when we needed it." New Orleans was coming off a 102-87 victory at Golden State the previous night. Former Blazers guard Jarrett Jack was a late scratch with a sprained right ankle. He joined centre Chris Kaman, out with the flu, forward Trevor Ariza, who has miss three games with a sore right ankle, backup power forward Gustavo Ayon, away from the team for the birth of a child, and Emeka Okafor, who has a sore left knee. The Blazers were without reserve guard Nolan Smith, who has a left ear infection. But Portland saw the return of starting guard Raymond Felton, who missed a game to be with his mother for a heart procedure.dddddddddddd The game came amid a report earlier Thursday that Blazers owner Paul Allen had entertained offers for the team. Allen posted on Twitter that the report was "absolutely false." A spokesman for the Microsoft co-founder reiterated Allens rebuttal of the report, which appeared on a blog for the Comcast SportsNet Northwest website. Rumours have swirled since the start of the season that Allen is positioning the team for sale. The Blazers are operating under an interim general manager and interim coach Caleb Canales, fueling speculation about the teams future. The Hornets took a 21-17 lead in the first quarter on Greivis Vasquezs running jumper, but Babbitt hit a 3-pointer to tie it for Portland at 23. Babbitt made another 3 to put the Blazers in front 28-27 at the end of the quarter. New Orleans went on a 13-2 run in the second quarter to take a 42-35 lead, and the Hornets led 54-51 at the break. Batums 3-pointer tied it a 61-all, and Feltons layup midway through the third quarter put Portland in front. The Blazers finished the quarter on a 9-0 run to go up 76-70 and it looked as though New Orleans was fading. Babbitts 3-pointer extended Portlands lead to 81-70. But the Hornets came back with an 11-2 run, capped by Landrys layup to get within 83-81 with 6:19 left. After J.J. Hicksons dunk for Portland, Belinelli made a 3-pointer. Hicksons layup kept Portland ahead, but Belinelli made another 3 to tie it at 87 with 4:51 to go. Babbitt, in his second year, didnt want to speculate whether his performance had earned him more playing time. He was averaging about 6.5 minutes a game before playing nearly 17 on Thursday night. "Im just worried about trying to play the best I can every minute I get out there," he said. The Blazers have won four straight against the Hornets. NOTES: Former Oregon running back LaMichael James attended the game. James, a former Heisman candidate, decided to skip his senior season and make himself eligible for the upcoming NFL draft. ... The Hornets visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday before wrapping up their road trip at Phoenix on Sunday. ... Portland plays the second of a back-to-back on Friday night against the Clippers. ... Blazers guard Raymond Felton finished with 12 points and 10 assists. ... 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