LaMarcus Aldridge, center for the San Antonio Spurs, has been one of the top two-way big men in the NBA for many years. The Chicago Bulls drafted Aldridge second overall in the 2006 NBA draft but decided to trade him to the Portland Trailblazers. He went on to have a very successful nine year stint in Portland, playing power forward and center, with multiple All-Star and All-NBA appearances.
Aldridge signed with the Spurs in the 2015 offseason. Over time, he adapted to the new system and was able to recover the his All-NBA form, and was a key contributor in helping the Spurs have one of the best defensive teams from 2015-2018 and continuing their streak of playoff appearances.
Aldridge attended Seagoville High School in Texas. He was listed as the fourth best player in the nation in his class, and considered declaring directly for the 2004 NBA Draft. He ultimately decided to attend the University of Texas to play college basketball there.
Aldridge missed much of his freshman year due to injury, appearing in only 16 games. In his second season, he was one of the Longhorns’ most important players, playing 33.7 minutes per game and averaging 15 points per game to go along with 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. After the 2005-2006 season, Aldridge declared for the NBA Draft. He was named the 2006 All Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
After missing the first seven games due to a shoulder injury, Aldridge made an immediate impact to the Trailblazers as a rookie. His jump shot that he had honed in his college career made him a consistent scoring threat from the mid-range. He averaged 9 points per game, shooting over 50 percent from the field, and he won the starting center job during the course of the season. Aldridge was named to the All-Rookie First Team. His production jumped dramatically during his second season, starting in all 76 of his appearances, averaging 17.8 points per game, and finishing third in voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award.
Aldridge’s game continued to grow. In 2009, he signed a 5-year extension with the Blazers, and during those 5 seasons he averaged at least 21 points per game every season. Injuries to teammates Brandon Roy and Greg Oden gave him the opportunity to take a leading offensive role on the team. In 2011, when he increased his scoring average from 17.8 to 21.4 points per game, Aldridge was second in Most Improved Player voting and was named to the All-NBA Third Team.
In 2012, Aldridge began a string of five straight All-Star appearances. There were rumors that he wanted a trade away from the Blazers at the beginning of the 2013-2014 season, but he affirmed his commitment to stay with the team. Aldridge and teammate Damian Lillard were both All-Stars in that season and they defeated the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2014-2015 season, Aldridge became the Blazer’s all-time leader in rebounds and made the All-NBA Second Team.
In 2015, Aldridge signed a four year, $80 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs. He was seen as the star that would help the Spurs transition from the “Big 3” era of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. While he had some issues fitting in to the Spurs’ motion and cutting heavy offensive system, he still made the All-Star team in his first year with the Spurs.
In 2017-2018, coach Greg Popovich admitted that the offense required tweaks to fit around Aldridge’s strengths. Aldridge averaged 23.1 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game, and helped the Spurs maintain a strong defense despite defensive stopper Kawhi Leonard’s extended injury absence. Aldridge was selected as an All-Star and made the All-NBA Second Team.
The next season saw the arrival of DeMar DeRozan, who helped ease the offensive burden on Aldridge. The two of them helped maintain a top-10 offense for the Spurs, despite limited talent around them, and the team made the playoffs and lost in seven games to the Denver Nuggets.
Aldridge has earned $170M in his career and is currently on a 2-year, $50M deal. He was previously signed on an endorsement deal with Nike and is now with Jordan Brand.
LaMarcus Aldridge signed a 2-year, $50 million extension with the San Antonio Spurs that kicked in in 2019.
Aldridge was born in Dallas, Texas to Marvin and Georgia Aldridge. His older brother, LaVontae, taught him basketball fundamentals. He has two sons, Jaylen and LaMarcus, Jr.
Aldridge has been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
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