Cole Aldrich
Cole Aldrich with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011
Personal information
Born (1988-10-31) October 31, 1988
Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight253 lb (115 kg)
Career information
High schoolBloomington Jefferson
(Bloomington, Minnesota)
CollegeKansas (2007–2010)
NBA draft2010: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Hornets
Playing career2010–2018
PositionCenter
Number45, 31
Career history
2010–2012Oklahoma City Thunder
2010–2011→Tulsa 66ers
2012–2013Houston Rockets
2013Sacramento Kings
2013–2015New York Knicks
2015–2016Los Angeles Clippers
2016–2018Minnesota Timberwolves
2018Tianjin Gold Lions
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points1,050 (3.1 ppg)
Rebounds1,131 (3.3 rpg)
Assists183 (0.5 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Cole David Aldrich (born October 31, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Aldrich played three seasons of college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being drafted by the New Orleans Hornets with the 11th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft.

Early life

Aldrich was born on October 31, 1988, in Burnsville, Minnesota.[1] His father was a steel metal worker and his mother worked in an embroidery.[2] Aldrich attended Bloomington Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minnesota.[3] As a senior, he was named state player of the year by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minneapolis Star-Tribune.[4]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Aldrich was listed as the No. 6 center and the No. 30 player in the nation in 2007.[5]

College career

Freshman season

Cole Aldrich against Iowa State on January 24, 2009

During the 2007–08 season at Kansas, Aldrich's freshman season, his playing time was limited due to playing behind future NBA draft picks Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun, and Darnell Jackson. He averaged three rebounds and 2.8 points a game in 8.3 minutes a game during the regular season. Statistically, Aldrich's best performance was an 11-point, 11-rebound outing in a win over Texas Tech on March 3, 2008.[6] Probably the most crucial game for Aldrich was during the Final Four game between Kansas and North Carolina on April 5, 2008, when he played only 16 minutes but managed to grab 8 rebounds and score 7 points along with blocking 4 shots while also playing effective defense against National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough, helping lead Kansas into the NCAA national championship game. They then defeated the Memphis Tigers to win their first Championship since 1988.[7]

Sophomore season

With the departure of the other Jayhawk big men to the NBA draft, Aldrich became the premier big man going into his sophomore season. Through the first 29 games, he averaged a double-double with 15.1 points and 10.8 rebounds in 29.7 minutes of play. He grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in an 87–78 win over Oklahoma on February 23, 2009,.[8] On March 8, 2009, Aldrich was named to the 2008–09 Big 12 All-conference first team.[9]

On March 22, 2009, Aldrich recorded the first official triple-double in the history of Kansas basketball against Dayton in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Aldrich accumulated 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a 60–43 victory, which was the second triple-double in NCAA history to include blocks, former LSU center Shaquille O'Neal recorded the other.[10] On Monday, April 13, Aldrich announced that he would return to KU for his junior season.

Junior season

He won the 2009–10 men's college basketball Academic All-American of the Year as selected by CoSIDA and presented by ESPN the Magazine.[11] He ended his college career a perfect 55–0 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Professional career

Oklahoma City Thunder (2010–2012)

On March 29, 2010, Aldrich announced that he would forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA draft. He was the 11th pick, selected by the New Orleans Hornets, who traded his rights on draft day to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On August 6, 2010, Aldrich signed a two-year contract with the Thunder with a two-year option.[12]

On November 24, 2010, the Thunder assigned Aldrich to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA D-League.[13] He was recalled on December 6, 2010,[14] but sent back to Tulsa on December 30, 2010.[15] He was again recalled on February 2, 2011, and assigned for a third time on March 30, 2011.[16] Aldrich reached the 2012 NBA Finals with the Thunder, but the team lost to the Miami Heat.

Houston Rockets (2012–2013)

In October 2012, Aldrich, James Harden, Daequan Cook, and Lazar Hayward were traded to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, and draft picks.[17]

Sacramento Kings (2013)

On February 20, 2013, Aldrich was traded to the Sacramento Kings along with Toney Douglas and Patrick Patterson in exchange for Francisco García, Thomas Robinson and Tyler Honeycutt.[18]

New York Knicks (2013–2015)

On September 24, 2013, Aldrich signed with the New York Knicks.[19] On January 29, 2014, he was assigned to the Erie BayHawks.[20] He was recalled the next day. He went on to record his first double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in his first NBA start on March 12, 2014.[21]

On July 11, 2014, Aldrich re-signed with the Knicks.[22] On April 11, 2015, he scored a career-high 19 points in an 80–79 win over the Orlando Magic.[23]

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)

On July 13, 2015, Aldrich signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.[24] On January 13, 2016, with starting center DeAndre Jordan out, Aldrich had a then season-best game with 19 points and 7 rebounds in a 104–90 win over the Miami Heat.[25] On April 8, 2016, he recorded 21 points and 18 rebounds (both season highs) and a career-high five steals in a 102–99 overtime win over the Utah Jazz.[26]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2016–2018)

On July 13, 2016, Aldrich signed a three-year, $22 million deal with his hometown team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.[27][28]

On June 30, 2018, Aldrich was waived by the Timberwolves.[29]

On September 18, 2018, Aldrich signed with the Atlanta Hawks[30] but was waived by the Hawks on October 2, 2018, as their first training camp cut.[31]

Tianjin Golden Lions (2018)

On October 10, 2018, Aldrich signed with the Tianjin Golden Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association.[32] He sprained his knee while playing and returned home.[33]

Aldrich planned to have a year-long break from basketball but made the decision to retire after his son was born and the COVID-19 pandemic occurred.[33]

NBA 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

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Oklahoma City 1807.9.533–.5001.9.2.3.41.0
2011–12 Oklahoma City 2606.7.524–.9291.8.1.3.62.2
2012–13 Houston 3007.1.535–.4441.9.2.1.31.7
2012–13 Sacramento 15011.7.568–.7274.2.2.1.93.3
2013–14 New York 4627.2.541–.8672.8.3.2.72.0
2014–15 New York 611616.0.478–.7815.51.2.61.15.5
2015–16 L.A. Clippers 60513.3.596–.7144.8.8.81.15.5
2016–17 Minnesota 6208.6.523–.6822.5.4.4.41.7
2017–18 Minnesota 2102.3.333–.333.7.1.1.00.6
Career 3392310.0.527–.7383.3.5.4.73.1

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012 Oklahoma City 504.9.444–.5002.6.0.0.02.0
2016 L.A. Clippers 6012.8.667–.5005.0.51.0.53.8
Career 1109.2.583–.5003.9.3.5.33.0

Personal life

Aldrich lives in Minnesota with his wife and son.[33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Cole Aldrich Isn't Wasting Time Giving Back". NBA. September 7, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Aldrich Brings Toughness, Dedication to Defensive End". NBA. July 9, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ Krawczynski, Jon (July 14, 2016). "Cole Aldrich, former Jayhawk: 'I've been a Timberwolves fan my whole life'". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Online Home of Cole Aldrich". Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  5. ↑ Cole Aldrich Recruiting Profile Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Cole Aldrich Kansas Jayhawks Game Log (2007–08)". ESPN. 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
  7. ↑ "North Carolina battles back, but Rush, Kansas close out Tar Heels". ESPN. April 6, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Taylor, Collins score 26 each as Jayhawks hand Sooners second straight loss". ESPN. February 24, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
  9. ↑ Bedore, Gary (March 8, 2009). "Jayhawks well-represented on coaches' Big 12 teams". Lawrence Journal-World. The World Company. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Aldrich's 13 points, 20 boards, 10 blocked shots lead KU to Sweet 16". ESPN. Associated Press. March 22, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Junior center Cole Aldrich of Kansas, Thomas More senior guard Daniel McKeehan lead ESPN the Magazine's Academic All-America Men's Basketball Teams". CoSIDA. February 22, 2010. Archived from the original on February 26, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Cole Aldrich signs with Thunder". Associated Press. August 6, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Thunder Assign Aldrich To Tulsa 66ers". Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Thunder Recall Aldrich From D-League". Archived from the original on December 19, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Thunder Assign Aldrich To D-League". December 30, 2010. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. March 30, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Thunder Acquires Martin, Lamb and Multiple Draft Picks from Rockets". Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Kings Complete Multiplayer Trade". NBA.com. February 20, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  19. ↑ "New York Knicks sign center Cole Aldrich". Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  20. ↑ Knicks assign Cole Aldrich, Toure Murry, Jeremy Tyler to D-League Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Cole Aldrich, nearly four years after being drafted in lottery, gets double-double in first career start". NBC Sports. March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Knicks Re-Sign Cole Adrich". NBA.com. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Knicks hold off Magic, teams set NBA scoring low for quarter". NBA.com. April 11, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Clippers Sign Austin Rivers and Cole Aldrich". NBA.com. July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Clippers win 10th straight, beat Heat 104–90 without Jordan". NBA.com. January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Crawford scores 30, including winner to lead Clippers". NBA.com. April 8, 2016. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  27. ↑ "TIMBERWOLVES SIGN CENTER COLE ALDRICH". NBA.com. July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Cole Aldrich agrees to 3-year, $22 million contract with Timberwolves". SBNation.com. July 3, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Timberwolves waive center Cole Aldrich". ESPN.com. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Atlanta Hawks Sign Cole Aldrich". NBA.com. September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Atlanta Hawks Request Waivers on Cole Aldrich". NBA.com. 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Cole Aldrich officially signs with Tianjin Gold Lions". Sportando. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  33. 1 2 3 Cacciola, Scott (October 3, 2022). "This Is What Life After the N.B.A. Looks Like". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
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