In 2010, four years after a booming NBA career, LaMarcus Aldridge faced a health crisis. His mother, Georgia, was diagnosed with breast cancer, a diagnosis she shared with her youngest son just days before he was due to report to training camp in Portland. Aldridge, relatives then told me, was a rock. He told them it was his responsibility to cheer her up, a role he took as seriously as his duties as the Trail Blazers’ novice franchise player.
Aldridge withdrew from the NBA on Thursday, citing an irregular heartbeat he felt during the Brooklyn game against the Lakers last Saturday, a rhythm that got worse later that night. Aldridge is no stranger to heart problems: In 2007, he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare condition that causes a fast heartbeat. Due to a procedure, he missed the last nine games of that season. In 2011 he needed one more, which cost him a week of training camp.
Aldridge signed with Brooklyn last month to compete for a championship, the missing piece for an impressive resume. There is the 19,951 points and 8,478 rebounds in totalThere are seven All-Star appearances and five spots on All-NBA teams. Earning its status as one of the best midrange shooters of its generation, its 6’11 ”frame and high release create one of the NBA’s most unblockable – and surprisingly efficient – shots.
Aldridge’s legacy is complex. His nine years in Portland were successful, but turbulent. His insecurities could get the better of him, first with Brandon Roy, then with Damian Lillard, two teammates Aldridge often felt like he was competing. “The problem you have with two competitive guys who are raised the same way is that you don’t have one person who is doing their best to get into a relationship,” Aldridge told me in 2015, when we met shortly after. Met Los Angeles. his decision to sign with Spurs. Aldridge and Lillard have since buried the ax. “We had a great time,” said Lillard.
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On Thursday, Lillard called via social media that the Blazers are canceling Aldridge’s number. And they should. For nine years, Aldridge was a mainstay in Portland. “We have surpassed my second and third years, mainly thanks to him,” said Blazers coach Terry Stotts, who coached Aldridge for three seasons. When Roy and Greg Oden were injured, there was Aldridge. When Lillard arrived, there was Aldridge. When asked about Aldridge’s place in Blazers history, Stotts noted that Lillard, Clyde Drexler… and Aldridge.
“I think he’s in the top five with the Blazers,” said Stotts.
Lillard agrees. On Instagram, Lillard posted a photo with Aldridge with the hashtag #WhatCouldHaveBeen. Aldridge’s exit has long gnawed at Lillard. “LA is one of the best players to play in Portland,” said Lillard. “He was at the peak of his career when I arrived here. He was at his best. I was a two-time All-Star. With my development, if he had stayed, at CJ [McCollum’s] development, who knows what that could have turned out to be? ”
Indeed. Aldridge defected to San Antonio, where he helped Spurs advance to the 2017 conference finals. Kawhi Leonard’s injury – and eventual exit – nullified all hopes for the championship, but Aldridge continued to produce, averaging 21 points in ’18 -19 and 19 points in the pandemic shortened the ’19 -20 season.
Lillard lamented Aldridge’s inability to go out on his own terms. But in a way he is. Aldridge played for 15 years, amassing nearly $ 200 million in revenue in court. He was a franchise player in Portland and a head supporter in San Antonio. His teams made it to the playoffs nine times, with only four losing seasons. He was chasing a championship in Brooklyn, but a ring as the wingman of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving would not have significantly enhanced a legacy that Aldridge could eventually see in the Hall of Fame.
He’s retiring, healthy. His mother hit cancer, and now Aldridge, a father of two sons, can move on with his life. “You never know when something will end, so make sure you enjoy it every day,” Aldridge wrote on social media“I can truly say that I did exactly that.”
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