One of the most underrated NBA players of the last two decades, LaMarcus Aldridge was fantastic during his prime. The big man played 16 years in the league. In that time, he played for the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Brooklyn Nets, and became a seven-time All-Star. Additionally, he was a five-time All-NBA selection, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and finished top 10 in MVP voting three times. Aldridge was one of the league’s best forwards in the 2010s and played alongside many great players. Recently, the Texas alum revealed that one of his former teammates is also his favorite player in history.
In an interview on the Knuckleheads Podcast (YouTube link), Aldridge revealed that his favorite NBA player of all time is Hall of Famer Tim Duncan. The two big men were teammates for one season with the Spurs. In the interview, Aldridge revealed playing alongside the five-time c champion was ‘better than I could imagine.”
“To play with Tim, it was better than I could imagine. You always hear like, ‘This guy’s a great teammate,’ and in the back of your mind, you think, ‘He ain’t that good.’ But with Tim, it was true. He’s selfless, cares about winning, only has one goal, which is to make everybody better. He’s my favorite player. To meet him, play with him, and realize that he’s that good of a person—it was cool. He had my back, passed me the torch, and supported me through it all,” Aldridge said.
LaMarcus Aldridge Names Former Teammate His ‘Favorite Player’
LaMarcus Aldridge Said Tim Duncan Played a Huge Role in Signing With the Spurs
Aldridge signed with the Spurs as a free agent in 2015. At the time, this was a blockbuster move, especially given how heavily pursued he was. Additionally, during his introductory press conference in 2015, Aldridge revealed that Duncan played a major role in his decision to join San Antonio.
“His part was huge in my decision,” Aldridge said in his first session with the San Antonio media. “That showed how much he wanted to play with me.”
In their one season together as teammates, the Spurs finished with a 67-15 record. Behind the historic 73-9 Golden State Warriors, the Spurs managed to only be the second-best team in the league that season. Ultimately, they lost in the second round to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Last Word
Aldridge’s comments come as no surprise. Duncan is a basketball legend and remains one of the greatest players in league history. Additionally, the general consensus is that he stands alone as the NBA’s greatest power forward of all time as well. Especially given that he is from Texas (though he is specifically from Dallas), it is not a shock that Aldridge looked up to Duncan. While not to the same extent, Aldridge did share a similar skillset to Duncan. He was a fantastic post player with an elite mid-range game. Additionally, he was a very fundamentally sound player who was incredibly efficient.
The last couple of seasons of Aldridge’s career were nothing to brag about. However, there is no denying that, at his peak, Aldridge was an incredible player to watch.
