LaMarcus Aldridge has officially announced his retirement after playing 15 years in the NBA. He played nine of those seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bulls as the second overall pick in the 2006 draft. However, on draft night the Trail Blazers were able to strike a deal and trade for Aldridge.
Throughout his career, Aldridge has played a vital role on every team he's played on. Each season he's been one of the focal points of the offense for the team he's been on. He wrapped up his career amassing 19,951 points, 8,478 rebounds, 2,034 assists, and 1,140 blocks.
This season, the San Antonio Spurs bought out his contract as the team was going in a different direction to build the roster with a step towards the future. The Brooklyn Nets swooped in and signed him to a deal for the remainder of the year. Unfortunately, Aldridge was forced into retirement after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.
Aldridge has had plenty of memorable moments during his time in the NBA. Between his time with the Trail Blazers and the Spurs, there are plenty of highlights to go around. However, only a few stand out as the cream of the crop. Here are the best three moments of LaMarcus Aldridge's career.
LaMarcus Aldridge's Best Moment #3: Dominating Performance in the 2014 Playoffs vs Houston
It was game one between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets. At the time, James Harden and Dwight Howard were viewed as the future of the Rockets franchise. Portland entered the postseason as the fifth seed, while Houston held the fourth seed.
The series started in Houston and the teams were equally matched. Every game was a heated contest, but it was expected the Rockets would pull away in the playoffs. Instead, LaMarcus Aldridge came out in the first game of the series and punched the Rockets in the mouth with a stat line of 46 points and 18 rebounds. Here are some highlights from the game, per Ali Productions.
Throughout the game, Aldridge made his presence known, setting the pace for the rest of the series. The Trail Blazers went on to play in the Conference Semifinals, where they lost to the eventual 2014 NBA Champions, the San Antonio Spurs.
LaMarcus Aldridge's Best Moment #2: Career High 56 Points vs the Thunder
In 2019, LaMarcus Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs took on the Oklahoma City Thunder in an early regular season bout. Fresh off of the offseason, Aldridge and the Spurs were ready to begin their year. Little did they know, Aldridge was going to finish with a historic night.
Steven Adams couldn't keep up with him, as Aldridge dropped a career-high 56 points to give the Spurs the win. It was an impressive feat, but what makes the moment so great is that LaMarcus Aldridge was 34 years old at the time. He was well into the back end of his career and yet, he still posted a mammoth point total on this night.
LaMarcus Aldridge's Best Moment #1: Buzzer Beater Over the Mavericks
The number one moment had to be one of his many buzzer-beaters. The one that sticks out the most is when he secured a victory over the Dallas Mavericks in 2013. What makes this moment so great is, not only did Aldridge hit the game-winner, he also scored the last five points of the game to give Portland the edge. It was one of the best sequences of his career and stands atop the pillar of his highlight reel.
Before the final shot, Aldridge hit an open three-pointer from the baseline to tie the game. After hitting the clutch shot and defending the Mavericks' next possession, the Trail Blazers came back down the court. Portland drew up an inbound play, where Aldridge eventually hit the game-winner. Not only that but, according to Sports Illustrated at the time, Portland came back from a 21 point deficit to win the game as well. It'll go down in history as one of the most clutch moments of Aldridge's career.
A tip of the cap to a heck of a career for LaMarcus Aldridge.
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