Read LaMarcus Aldridge’s farewell letter to Blazers fans
By Josh Hill
LaMarcus Aldridge is taking his talents to San Antonio, but he’s not going to forget the fans in Portland that he’s leaving behind.
Next: Top 25 NBA Free Agents for 2016
The Portland Trail Blazers are suddenly in need of two more members of their once promising Big 3. Damian Lillard is all that remains of a Big 3 that looked to restore dominance and pride to Trail Blazers basketball. Nicolas Batum is now in Charlotte playing with the Hornets and LaMarcus Aldridge followed him out the door when he signed with the San Antonio Spurs this weekend.
Aldridge might be gone but he’s hardly yet forgotten in Portland.
In a fitting farewell to the city of Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge penned a letter to Blazers fans thanking them for the years of cheering him on.
"“Dear Rip City, Thank you!“Those two words on a page don’t begin to express the gratitude I have for the opportunity the entire Trail Blazers organization, my teammates, the media, and you fans gave me. The past nine years have been a blessing, and I will take all of the valuable memories with me as I head back home.“As I’m sure you can respect, my decision was a very personal one but not one I took lightly. Although I will be wearing a different uniform the next time I come back to Portland, please know that I will always hold my time in a Blazers uniform near and dear to my heart.“Your friend, LA”"
Aldridge was accused of checking out on the Blazers during their most recent playoff run this postseason, but even if that’s true this letter shows that Aldridge has all the respect in the world for Blazers fans. It’s often times never the fans who run off a star player, it’s usually always management or another player.
In this case, Damian Lillard might have been the problem for Aldridge, but no matter who or what drove the forward to San Antonio, it wasn’t the fans.