In 2010, four years after a quick career in the NBA, 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 presented to a training camp in Portland. Aldridge, family members told me at the time, was a rock. He told them it was his responsibility to keep his spirit, a role he took as seriously as he did as a budding Trail Blazers franchise player.
Aldridge retired from the NBA on Thursday, citing an irregular heartbeat he felt during the Brooklyn game against the Lakers on Saturday, a rhythm that worsened later that evening. Aldridge is no stranger to heart problems: in 2007, he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare condition that causes rapid heartbeat. A procedure caused him to miss the last nine games of that season. He needed another in 2011, costing 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 19,951 points and 8,478 total recoveries. There are seven All-Star appearances and five places in the All-NBA teams. There is his status as one of the best mid-level players of his generation, his 6’11 ”frame and high pitch creating one of the most unlockable – and surprisingly effective – NBA photos.
Aldridge’s legacy is complex. The nine years spent in Portland were successful, but turbulent. His insecurities could get the best of him, first with Brandon Roy, then with Damian Lillard, two Aldridge teammates often feeling like they are competing. “The problem you have with the fact that two competitive guys are brought in the same way is that you don’t have a single person struggling to have a relationship,” Aldridge told me in 2015, when we met in Los Angeles at shortly after his decision to sign with Spurs. Since then, Aldridge and Lillard have buried the hatch. “We had a great time,” Lillard said.
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On Thursday, Lillard went on social media to ask the Blazers to withdraw Aldridge’s number. And you should. For nine years, Aldridge was a mainstay in Portland. “The second and third years, I overtook him primarily because of him,” said Blazers coach Terry Stotts, who coached Aldridge for three seasons. When Roy and Greg Oden fought the wounds, it was Aldridge. When Lillard came, it was Aldridge. Asked about Aldridge’s place in Blazers history, Stotts noticed Lillard, Clyde Drexler … and Aldridge.
“I think he’s in the top five of all time with the Blazers,” Stotts said.
Lillard would agree. On Instagram, Lillard posted a picture of Aldridge with the hashtag #WhatCouldHaveBeen. Aldridge’s exit had long gnawed at Lillard. “LA is one of the biggest players playing in Portland,” Lillard said. “He was at the peak of his career when I got here. It was at its best. I’ve been an All-Star twice. With my development, he would have stayed with the CJ [McCollum’s] development, who knows what this could have turned into? ”
Really. Aldridge gave up on San Antonio, where he helped Spurs advance to the 2017 conference finals. Kawhi Leonard’s injury – and eventual exit – killed any hope of a championship, but Aldridge continued to produce, on average 21 points in 18-18 and 19 points in the pandemic shortened the ’19-20 season.
Lillard lamented Aldridge’s inability to get out on his own terms. But in a way it is. Aldridge played for 15 years, earning nearly $ 200 million in field wins. He was a franchise player in Portland and a major supporter in San Antonio. His teams have made the playoffs nine times, with just four seasons lost. He watched a championship in Brooklyn, but a wing ring for Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving would not have significantly improved a legacy that could eventually see Aldridge in the Hall of Fame.
Retire, healthy. His mother battled cancer, and now Aldridge, a father with 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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