Ranking the top 10 Portland Trail Blazers of all time
By Reese Kunz
No. 4 – LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge was a dominant power forward. He had a successful 17-year career, playing nine seasons with the Blazers, six with the Spurs, and two with the Nets. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star, four of which came as a Blazer.
In addition, he earned two All-NBA Second Team and three All-NBA Third Team selections.
Despite not being an exceptional 3-point shooter, he was widely known for his elite midrange shot, especially for someone standing at 6-foot-11. He maintained impressive career averages of 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block on 49/81/32 shooting splits.
Aldridge was selected second overall in the 2006 NBA Draft from the University of Texas. Initially picked by the Chicago Bulls, the Blazers traded for the rights to the pick, exchanging their fourth-overall pick Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa.
The peak of Aldridge’s career was during his final seasons with the Blazers. He represented the team in four of his five consecutive All-Star appearances, averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Aldridge played in the era of elite power forwards, including Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chris Bosh. Despite not experiencing much postseason success, his name deserves to be in the conversation for one of the best power forwards of that era.
He exemplified everything a person would want in a prototypical power forward.