LaMarcus Aldridge facts for kids

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LaMarcus Aldridge
Personal information
Aldridge with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022
Born	(1985-07-19) July 19, 1985 (age 39) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
High school	Seagoville (Dallas, Texas)
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
College	Texas (2004–2006)
NBA Draft	2006 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	2006–2022
Career history
2006–2015	Portland Trail Blazers
2015–2021	San Antonio Spurs
2021–2022	Brooklyn Nets

Career highlights and awards
7× NBA All-Star (2012–2016, 2018, 2019) 2× All-NBA Second Team (2015, 2018) 3× All-NBA Third Team (2011, 2014, 2016) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2007) Third-team All-American – NABC (2006) First-team All-Big 12 (2006) Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2006) Big 12 All-Defensive Team (2006) Second-team Parade All-American (2004) McDonald's All-American (2004)

Career statistics
Points	20,558 (19.1 ppg)
Rebounds	8,736 (8.1 rpg)
Assists	2,076 (1.9 apg)

LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge (born July 19, 1985) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played college basketball for two years with the Texas Longhorns. In the 2006 NBA draft, Aldridge was picked second overall. He played for nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. Later, he joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2015 and the Brooklyn Nets in 2021. He is known for his special fadeaway jump shot. Aldridge was chosen for five All-NBA teams and was a seven-time NBA All-Star.

Early Life and High School Basketball
- High School Achievements
College Career at Texas
Professional Basketball Journey
Career Statistics
- NBA
  - Regular season
  - Playoffs
- College
Awards and Honors
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and High School Basketball

LaMarcus Aldridge grew up in Dallas, Texas. His parents separated when he was in fifth grade, and his mother raised him. He started playing basketball at local parks. Even though he was very tall, people first thought he "couldn't play." By eighth grade, he was 6 feet 7 inches tall. The basketball coach at Seagoville High School noticed his height and recruited him.

High School Achievements

At Seagoville High School, Aldridge became a second-team Parade All-American. He was also named the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 4A Player of the Year. Experts like Rivals.com saw him as a top player. In 2004, they ranked him as the number 4 best center and the number 16 player in the country.

College Career at Texas

Aldridge went to the University of Texas at Austin. He thought about joining the NBA draft in 2004 right after high school. But he decided to go to college instead. Some say this was because Shaquille O'Neal advised him to get a college education first. After his second year with the Longhorns, Aldridge decided to enter the 2006 NBA draft in April 2006.

Professional Basketball Journey

Starting with the Portland Trail Blazers (2006–2015)

Aldridge was picked second in the 2006 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. But he was quickly traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He missed the first few games of the 2006–07 NBA season because of shoulder surgery. He soon became a starter after another player got injured.

In March 2007, Aldridge had to go to the hospital because of shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat. He was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome, a heart condition. He missed the rest of his rookie season. Still, he was named to the 2007 NBA All-Rookie Team (first team).

Growing as a Player

In his second season (2007–08 NBA season), Aldridge played even better. He scored more points, grabbed more rebounds, and had more assists, blocks, and steals. He finished third in the voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award. He continued to improve his game, especially his midrange fadeaway shot.

Aldridge hangs onto the rim in 2008

In October 2009, Aldridge signed a five-year contract extension with Portland. He became a key player for the team, especially after his teammate Brandon Roy had knee problems. In the 2010–11 NBA season, Aldridge really shined. He was named NBA Player of the Week twice and scored a career-high 42 points in one game. He was also voted to the All-NBA Third Team.

All-Star Appearances

Aldridge was named a reserve for the Western Conference All-Star team in 2012. This was his first of many All-Star selections. In the 2012–13 NBA season, he became an All-Star for the second time. He averaged 21.1 points and a career-high 9.1 rebounds per game.

The 2013–14 NBA season was a big one for Aldridge. He had many games with "double-doubles" (scoring double-digit points and rebounds). He once scored 31 points and grabbed a career-high 25 rebounds against the Houston Rockets. He also scored a career-high 44 points against the Denver Nuggets. He was voted a reserve for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game, his third straight appearance.

In the playoffs that year, Aldridge set a new career and franchise playoff record with 46 points and 18 rebounds in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets. He had an amazing series, averaging 29.8 points per game.

Aldridge signs an autograph after a game in Boston in 2014

In the 2014–15 NBA season, Aldridge continued to lead the Blazers. He passed Terry Porter to become second on the team's all-time scoring list. He also became the Trail Blazers' all-time leader in rebounds. He was selected as an All-Star for the fourth time and even started in the game. He was voted onto the All-NBA Second Team.

Moving to the San Antonio Spurs (2015–2021)

On July 9, 2015, Aldridge signed a four-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He wore the number 12 jersey, which had been retired for Bruce Bowen, but Bowen gave his permission for Aldridge to use it. He returned to Portland to play against his old team for the first time as a Spur in November 2015.

Key Moments with the Spurs

Aldridge had many strong performances with the Spurs. In February 2016, he scored a season-high 36 points against the New Orleans Pelicans. He helped the Spurs win many home games in a row. In the playoffs, he scored 38 and 41 points in the first two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Aldridge with San Antonio in February 2017

In March 2017, Aldridge had another minor heart arrhythmia. He was cleared to return to play a few days later. He reached 1,000 points for the 10th season in a row, a rare achievement. In the 2017 playoffs, he helped the Spurs beat the Houston Rockets, scoring 34 points and 12 rebounds in the final game of that series.

Aldridge signed a contract extension with the Spurs in October 2017. He continued to be a top player, scoring season highs of 32, 33, and 41 points in different games. In January 2018, he was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve again. He became the first Spurs player not drafted by the team to make the All-Star team since 1986. He also reached 7,000 career rebounds and 16,000 career points, showing his long-term success. In March 2018, he scored a career-high 45 points against the Utah Jazz.

In the 2018–19 NBA season, Aldridge continued to impress. He had 21 points and 19 rebounds in the season opener. In January 2019, he scored a career-high 56 points in a double-overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was named an All-Star reserve again. He also reached 18,000 points and 7,500 rebounds, being the only player in the league to do so since he was drafted in 2006.

In November 2019, Aldridge reached 8,000 career rebounds. He was the first NBA player since 2006 to have over 18,000 points and 8,000 rebounds. In April 2020, he had shoulder surgery and missed the rest of the 2019–20 NBA season. In March 2021, Aldridge and the Spurs agreed to end his contract, allowing him to join another team.

Short Time with the Brooklyn Nets (2021–2022)

On March 28, 2021, Aldridge signed with the Brooklyn Nets. He played his first game for the Nets on April 1. On April 15, Aldridge announced he was retiring from basketball. He said it was due to health concerns from his irregular heartbeat.

However, on September 3, 2021, Aldridge re-signed with the Nets. He had received medical clearance to play again. On October 29, he scored 21 points, reaching 20,000 career points. On March 31, 2023, Aldridge announced his retirement for a second time, ending his professional basketball career.

Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2006–07	Portland	63	22	22.1	.503	.000	.722	5.0	.4	.3	1.2	9.0
2007–08	Portland	76	76	34.9	.484	.143	.762	7.6	1.6	.7	1.2	17.8
2008–09	Portland	81	81	37.1	.484	.250	.781	7.5	1.9	1.0	1.0	18.1
2009–10	Portland	78	78	37.5	.495	.313	.757	8.0	2.1	.9	.6	17.9
2010–11	Portland	81	81	39.6	.500	.174	.791	8.8	2.1	1.0	1.2	21.8
2011–12	Portland	55	55	36.3	.512	.182	.814	8.0	2.4	.9	.8	21.7
2012–13	Portland	74	74	37.7	.484	.143	.810	9.1	2.6	.8	1.2	21.1
2013–14	Portland	69	69	36.2	.458	.200	.822	11.1	2.6	.9	1.0	23.2
2014–15	Portland	71	71	35.4	.466	.352	.845	10.2	1.7	.7	1.0	23.4
2015–16	San Antonio	74	74	30.6	.513	.000	.858	8.5	1.5	.5	1.1	18.0
2016–17	San Antonio	72	72	32.4	.477	.411	.812	7.3	1.9	.6	1.2	17.3
2017–18	San Antonio	75	75	33.5	.510	.293	.837	8.5	2.0	.6	1.2	23.1
2018–19	San Antonio	81	81	33.2	.519	.238	.847	9.2	2.4	.5	1.3	21.3
2019–20	San Antonio	53	53	33.1	.493	.389	.827	7.4	2.4	.7	1.6	18.9
2020–21	San Antonio	21	18	25.9	.464	.360	.838	4.5	1.7	.4	.9	13.7
2020–21	Brooklyn	5	5	26.0	.521	.800	1.000	4.8	2.6	.6	2.2	12.8
2021–22	Brooklyn	47	12	22.3	.550	.304	.873	5.5	.9	.3	1.0	12.9
Career		1,076	997	33.7	.493	.320	.813	8.1	1.9	.7	1.1	19.1
All-Star		7	1	11.7	.368	.800	—	2.9	.6	.1	.4	4.6

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009	Portland	6	6	39.5	.490	.250	.700	7.5	1.3	.5	1.7	19.5
2010	Portland	6	6	38.2	.430	.500	.750	6.0	2.2	1.2	1.8	19.0
2011	Portland	6	6	43.0	.461	—	.792	7.5	1.3	1.3	1.7	20.8
2014	Portland	11	11	40.1	.452	.667	.800	10.6	1.5	.6	1.6	26.2
2015	Portland	5	5	41.6	.330	.273	.889	11.2	1.8	.4	2.4	21.8
2016	San Antonio	10	10	33.7	.521	1.000	.891	8.3	1.0	.4	1.4	21.9
2017	San Antonio	16	16	33.6	.458	.143	.764	7.4	1.5	.6	1.0	16.5
2018	San Antonio	5	5	35.4	.463	.600	.976	9.2	2.4	.6	.4	23.6
2019	San Antonio	7	7	34.9	.455	.273	.818	9.6	2.7	.7	1.0	20.0
Career		72	72	37.1	.455	.327	.824	8.5	1.7	.7	1.4	20.8

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2004–05	Texas	16	16	22.2	.663	—	.657	5.9	.9	1.1	1.5	9.9
2005–06	Texas	37	37	33.7	.569	—	.646	9.2	.5	1.4	2.0	15.0
Career		53	53	30.2	.586	—	.649	8.2	.6	1.3	1.8	13.5

Awards and Honors

NBA

NBA All-Star: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
All-NBA Second Team: 2015, 2018
All-NBA Third Team: 2011, 2014, 2016
NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2007
Western Conference Player of the Week (10 times)
Western Conference Player of the Month (February 2011)

College

NABC All-American Third Team (2006)
Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year (2006)
First-team All-Big 12 (2006)
Big-12 All-Defensive Team (2006)
Big-12 All-Tournament Team (2006)

Personal Life

LaMarcus Aldridge has two sons. His older brother, LaVontae, also played basketball in college but had a career-ending knee injury. He passed away in 2022. Aldridge's cousin, Marlon Hairston, is a professional soccer player.

Aldridge has a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. He had surgery in 2007 and again in 2011 to help manage this condition.

He also appeared in two episodes of the TV show Portlandia.